Ronald K. is an 89-year-old man from Kent County, Michigan.
He lived with his daughter Kendra, who served as his full-time caregiver, because he suffered from dementia and restricted mobility.
One night in November 2022, a car crash knocked out power to their neighborhood.
The house went dark.
Kendra had no battery-powered lights on hand.
So, she lit candles throughout the house.
Eventually, she fell asleep but woke to screams from the kitchen.
She found her father on the floor with his lower torso on fire.
She jumped on him and tried to put out the flames with her hands.
Ronald was rushed to the hospital with third-degree burns over 40 percent of his body.
He died two days later.
Investigators found that a lit candle caught Ronald’s clothing on fire while he was unsupervised in the dark.
A basic lantern on the kitchen counter could have changed everything.
This is what you need to know about emergency lights for power outages and why every prepared household needs them staged and ready.
What are emergency lights for power outages?
They are battery-powered, rechargeable, or solar-powered lighting tools designed to keep your household safe and functional when the grid goes down.
These are a basic piece of survival gear, essential as a first aid kit or a water supply.
Types of emergency lights:
Lanterns:
Portable lanterns are the backbone of your power outage lighting plan.
A high-output LED lantern can light an entire room and run for 12 to 35 hours on a single set of batteries.
The LitezAll Kodiak Lantern puts out up to 1,500 lumens and runs up to 35 hours on low, enough to carry a family through a multi-day outage.
The LE 1000LM Portable Camping Lantern is a strong second option, especially for families with young children.
Motion-activated pathway lights:
These stick-on, battery-powered lights turn on automatically when someone walks past.
Place them on stairs, in hallways, and near bathrooms.
They’re great at 3 a.m. when the power is out and someone needs to move through a dark house.
The Guankai Motion Sensor Lights are a budget-friendly 8-pack that covers most of a household.
Headlamps:
A headlamp means you can work with both hands during repairs, cooking, or helping an injured person in the dark.
The Black Diamond Spot 400 is waterproof, runs up to 150 hours on low, and has multiple modes including red night vision.
Every adult in the household should keep one within arm’s reach of their bed.
Benefits of emergency lighting:
They eliminate the dangers of candles.
Battery-powered lanterns and LED lights give you the same illumination with none of the flame risk.
This is especially important if you have children, elderly family, or anyone with restricted mobility in your household.
They prevent falls.
Staircase falls are the second leading cause of injury in the United States and poor lighting is one of the top causes of those falls.
Motion-activated lights on stairs and in hallways turn on automatically when someone moves through.
Drawbacks to emergency lighting:
Batteries drain.
A light that’s been sitting in a drawer for two years may not work when you need it.
Test batteries twice a year (daylight saving time changes is a solid reminder).
Rechargeable options need advance charging.
If your rechargeable lantern is dead when the power goes out, it can’t charge itself.
Keep it plugged in or charged regularly so it’s always ready.
Coverage has limits.
You’ll need multiple lights staged in the right locations: bedrooms, hallways, staircases, and bathrooms, to properly cover your household during an outage.
If you are building out your emergency lighting setup, these 3 are your top priorities:
Priority 1: A high-output LED lantern for your main living area.
The LitezAll Kodiak or LE 1000LM should be kept somewhere central, not buried in a closet.
When the power goes out, you should be able to reach it in the dark within seconds.
Priority 2: Motion-activated pathway lights on every staircase and dark hallway.
Stick these in place and forget them.
They work automatically and require nothing from you during a stressful outage situation.
Priority 3: A headlamp for every adult in the household.
Keep it on your nightstand or clipped to your bed frame.
If the power goes out at 3 a.m., your headlamp or tactical flashlight is the first thing you should be able to reach.
Every adult in the household should have one within arm’s reach of their bed.
