Out of the different hazards that can happen to a building, fire is the most dangerous and unfortunately the most common one that can not only damage the property but also take lives. It is therefore of primary importance that any building, residential or commercial, should have ample safety measures against a sudden fire break out. And of these, the role played by fire exit signs cannot be called any lesser than that by the other fire safety equipments.

Fire exit signs, mostly seen in huge commercial buildings like shopping malls and business establishments are signs that show the way to exit the building in an emergency. They normally come with the word "EXIT" in full capitals in the background of red or green to ensure that nobody misses them out. Sometimes you also find them with a symbol of a person moving and an arrow directing people to the right way to leave. You usually find an emergency lighting placed above these signs, sometimes self-luminous and sometimes with additional lights.

Most countries have their own fire exit signs to signify the way a person can leave a building in an urgent situation. Most of them have the authorities that enforce the rule that there should be exit signs in a building. The number of such emergency exits depends on the size and type of the building. Public places like hospitals and movie theatres have them in almost all the floors and all corners. In the case of a double storied house it might have just one exit and mostly doesn’t need a sign as the inhabitants of the house would know the way out.

Today, the meaning of "fire exit" and "emergency exit" has almost blended into one, the boundary line between both being a very narrow one. Since showing the way outside to safety is the intention behind building these exit paths and signs, people now consider both as same.

While installing the fire exit signs make sure that you put them on a right height, not so high that they are missed and not so low that they disturb the eyes. Also, they have to meet the current regulations by the authorities. Sometimes it happens that authorities change the symbols and colours that denote these signs. It is therefore important for builders to update themselves on the latest rules of a state or country regarding the safety measures of a building. A miss on an exit sign at the right place could mean a risk to life for someone.