Using existing lifts in existing buildings to evacuate disabled persons

Using existing lifts in existing buildings to evacuate disabled persons Derek Smith Technical Director UK Lift and Escalator Industry Association.

Why cant I use the lift in the event of fire? Do not use lift in case of fire

Can a lift be used in relative safety for evacuation? • Yes if the building and lift are designed with this in mind. • On a new building its not technically difficult to manage disabled evacuation by lift but may be expensive. • It is very complex to manage general evacuation by lift and has little purpose until you reach 20 floors or more. • On an existing building the problem is much larger.

Can a lift be used in relative safety for evacuation. • To answer this question we need to understand why for the part 50 years the advice has been ‘don’t use the lift’. • If it can be used, can it be used by disabled persons without assistance?

What are the concerns and risks? • If there is a fire it may be in the lift itself. • There maybe smoke percolating in the lift well. • The lift may take you to a landing with fire or smoke in it. 4) If everyone uses lift it may become overloaded. 5) Its use may be required by the fire service. 6) Will users be able to wait for the lift in safety? 7) Lift may fail trapping the occupants requiring fire fighters to divert from fire fighting to rescue. 8) Any rescue normally requires access to a machinery space or a particular floor. This access may be blocked.

How can these issues be addressed? • We will study each issue to determine the level of risk in using the lift.

1) If there is a fire it may be in the lift itself. • Install fire and smoke detection system linked to the lift system so as to automatically remove lift from service if its not safe. • Or if provided, a lift driver (appointed fire warden) will report smoke in the lift and can remove it from service. • Other fire wardens can then ensure those waiting for the lift are told its not available use plan B.

2) There maybe smoke in the lift. • Install a smoke detection system or appoint a lift driver (appointed fire warden) to check for smoke and remove lift from service if its present. • Other fire wardens can then ensure those waiting for the lift are told its not available so use plan B. • BS9999 bases much of its advice on the use of fire wardens but it only works in managed buildings like an office. Not suitable in an apartment block with no one in charge.

3) The lift may take you to an area with fire or smoke in it. • Landings served by the lift could be monitored with fire/ smoke detection system linked to lift to prevent stops at the floor. • The lift could have a driver instructed to avoid certain floors. Instructions coming from a senior person responsible for evacuation with fire wardens on each floor. See BS9999

4) If everyone uses lift it may become overloaded. • Restrict evacuation by lift to those having difficulty using stairs. • This is a building management issue but not a big issue. • Persons will usually use stairs automatically if the lift is not instantly available. • Lift could be fitted with an overload device or may already have one. These devices are not always terribly reliable but will help.

5) Lift use may be required by the fire service • If it’s a fire fighting lift, it will be required. • If its not a fire fighting lift it may still be used by the fire service depending on the emergency. • Its use need discussion and agreement with the fire service. • A provision maybe made to enable fire service to capture the lift if they need it. • Standard lift evacuation feature activated by special switch a main floor. • See BS9999 evacuation lifts for detail.

6) Will I be able to wait for the lift in safety? • Lifts are like busses. Never one when you want it. • You will have to wait in a smoke and fire free area, a safe refuge. • Does the building lobby or lift location provide a safe area to wait?

7) Lift may fail trapping the occupants requiring fire fighters to divert from fire fighting to rescue. • Trapping is probably the biggest concern but how likely is it? • Contrary to common belief most lifts are reliable.

8) Any rescue normally requires access to machinery space, a particular floor or roof. This access may be blocked. • The scale of this issue depend on the building layout, the type of lift installed and the location of its rescue features. • It needs assessing on a case by case basis. • Most important is the access route to the machinery. In many buildings it is a fire protected route but not in all.

Summary • Issues 1 to 5 can be resolved by building management or a combination of technical solutions and management. • Issues remaining 6) will there be a safe area to wait? 7) trapped inside lift car. 8) access to rescue system.

6) Will I be able to wait for the lift in safety? • Clearly you cannot wait in an area filled with smoke or where temperature is rising. • This is a building design issue. If the building has a fire in one fire compartment but the lift is in another it may b safe to wait. • The answer is the deign of the building and the lift location need to be assessed on an individual basis.

7) Lift may fail trapping the occupants requiring fire fighters to divert from fire fighting to rescue. • Trapping is probably the biggest concern but how likely is it? • Power may be lost or turned off during an emergency, does lift have a backup supply? • Are lifts reliable? • In general yes if you consider the number of trips made. • Your average office block lifts may make 260,000 trips per year. It may fail 3 or 4 times per year. Once in every 65,000 trips. • The odds are that your journey is completed.

7) Any rescue normally requires access to machinery space or a particular floor. This access may be blocked. • This access issue can only be studied and resolved on a case by case basis.

So can I use the lift? • I don’t know, its not a lift issue because it depends on the building design, layout and management issue. • It will depend on the actual building and must be assessed individually. • It will also depend on the number of persons likely to use lift and the disabilities they may have preventing easy use.

So who can decide if the lift can be used. • Those responsible for the building are responsible for the safe evacuation of it in an emergency. • These persons do not normally have the knowledge and expertise to make the judgement. • They need to employ an expert, probably a fire engineer to help them assess the risk. • With this expert they can determine if the risk of using the lift is less or greater than not using it and wait for rescue.

What can a lift company do? • Lift engineers can advise on what the lift can be made to do if sent the appropriate signals. • example smoke in well signal lift returns to main floor. • The lift maintainer can assist the owner in assess the lifts reliability and maybe able to recommend changes to improve reliability if required.

Assessing the risks • The assessor must determine the likely evacuation scenarios to be addressed. • Determine which of these are likely to require use of a lift. • Assess the lift and building related issues. • Identify lift issues. • Determine what need to be done to address the issues. • Record the findings

Points to consider • What circumstances will require an evacuation. • Probably a false alarm • Fire • Bomb threat • Severe weather (subject to location) • Fire practice • Lightening strike (structural damage) • etc • Not all the above will be relevant to all buildings • What disabilities do likely lift users have.

Formal risk assessment • Those responsible for the building need a formal documented assessment of the risks. • This should cover the various reasons why the building may need evacuation. • It should result in a evacuation procedure to cover all the issues identified and contain a plan B. • Plan B = What to do if plan A it fails.

Related information • BS999 Design management and use of buildings, includes advice on evacuation lifts. • ISO 25743 study into use of lifts for evacuation. A tool to assist in assessing issues to be addressed.

Thank you for listening

Using existing lifts in existing buildings to evacuate disabled persons