Defense Holdings, Inc. Delivers 550 Safe, Green, AfterGlow® Photoluminescent EXIT Signs To Replace Radioactive Tritium EXIT Signs At Fort Monmouth
Manassas Park, VA (May 13, 2011) – Defense Holdings, Inc.® (DHi®) which recently moved its headquarters to Manassas Park, VA has delivered 550 environmentally responsible, safe, green, AfterGlow® Brand photoluminescent EXIT signs and mounting materials to Chenega Technology Services Corporation, Ft Monmouth, NJ to replace existing radioactive tritium EXIT signs at the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Monmouth, NJ (USAGFM).
AfterGlow® is DHi’s brand name for a range of photoluminescent (PL) - non-electrical, non-radioactive, glow-in-the-dark products used in buildings to provide safety marking systems throughout the structures. AfterGlow® products include entrance, exit and other signage, tapes and paints, and UL Approved Zero Energy photoluminescent EXIT signs that provide lighting without electricity, batteries, LED’s or radioactive materials.
The tritium EXIT signs being replaced at USAGFM are radioactive, lose half their luminance every 8 years, are expensive to dispose of, and in many or most cases require special handling and record keeping as hazardous nuclear waste. Photoluminescent safety products are sustainable and can earn LEED credits points for building owners in green building design and construction. They can be used to retrofit existing buildings, are ideal for historical preservation, and can be used to significantly reduce the energy budget and electrical infrastructure for new construction. Installation costs are very low, they require fewer building materials to make, are maintenance free, and consume ZERO energy because they are charged by ambient light. Also, photoluminescent safety products are effective and, in many emergency cases, superior to other methods. PL products continue working long after emergency generators typically stop running and their luminance far exceeds that of many LED products. DHi’s safety-grade phosphors can be recharged time and again for many, many years.
Rich Martin, DHi’s President and CEO, states “In October 2009, President Obama signed in an Executive Order, establishing an integrated approach to sustainability, which includes making green house gas (GHG) reductions a priority for federal agencies. GHG reductions can be made by reducing energy use and switching to photoluminescent EXIT signs and related products that can help Federal building owners and managers reach these goals sooner. The advantage this brings to users of AfterGlow® products is that users are buying a green product and the user can include this in their carbon calculation to offset their company’s carbon contribution. This is critical for companies that sell to the Federal government because GSA and all Federal agencies are going to start requiring companies to calculate their GHG contributions, and GHG will become a factor in awarding federal contracts. Companies using AfterGlow® safety marking systems will have a competitive advantage. DHi is honored to be able to help the Army eliminate the cost and environmental risks associated with tritium EXIT signs and to help the DoD show the way in demonstrating its commitment to sustainability and Green House Gas reductions represented by the adoption of our AfterGlow® Brand ZERO Energy EXIT Signs.”
DHi has pioneered the photoluminescent safety product market and is currently one of the largest installers of PL safety products in the United States. DHi’s AfterGlow® Brand photoluminescent safety products are installed throughout the Pentagon and in many other locations around the country. The International Building Code and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards which serve as models for local codes were updated in 2009, and the General Services Administration has also recently updated its standards, and now mandates the use of photoluminescent exit signs and safety markings for hallways and stairwells. DHi provides one of the few safety-grade photoluminescent paints certified for use in building applications, as well as the only line of highly reliable adhesive (peel and stick) products on the market today.
DHi’s AfterGlo® photoluminescent paints are being used to make spinning propellers visible to ground crew on aircraft carrier flight decks and airport ramps, on helicopter main and tail rotors, in filling engraved lines and characters, and in buildings as well. More than 23,000 photoluminescent emergency egress lighting kits have been sold for use in combat and tactical vehicles. Photoluminescent instrument panel products are being used in aircraft and other DHi photoluminescent safety marking products are in use in Navy and Coast Guard ships. DHi is presently working with OEMs and regulatory agencies to expand the use of its photoluminescent tapes, paints and related PL safety products to freight and passenger rail, commercial aviation, and passenger and school bus applications.
Founded in 1994 to provide scientific, engineering and program management services to the Federal government, since 2001 DHi has been a leader in all areas of the high performance photoluminescent technology (PL) industry including research, specifications development, and manufacturing. The company is a privately-held, service-disabled, veteran-owned, minority small business that works with customers to develop comprehensive PL safety solutions for their problems. DHi is based in Manassas Park, VA with other facilities in Charlottesville, VA and Trenton, NC. DHi has been ISO 9001 registered since 2003 and has received awards from the federal government for outstanding technical innovation and performance. DHi is one of 60 small businesses that are charter members in the EPA’s U.S. Climate Leaders Program.