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HomeMy WebLinkAbout202.005b - Elevator Rescue Operations and Procedures STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES MANUAL TACTICAL OPERATIONS 202.005b ELEVATOR RESCUE OPERATIONS AND PROCEDURES EFFECTIVE: OCTOBER 2007 Current Revision Date: 5/23/19 Next Revision Date: 5/23/22 Author’s Name/Rank: Christian Palmer, Fire Captain Review Level: 1 Administrative Support: Sherrie L. Badertscher Management Analyst II Section 202.005b Page 1 of 6 PURPOSE To provide members with safe and proven procedures for elevator rescue operations. APPLICATION Fresno Fire Department (FFD or Department) members are often called upon to provide rescue assistance to persons trapped in stalled elevator cars. Because of the dangers associated with such operations, members need to be trained in elevator rescue procedures, familiar with the operation of elevator systems, and use extreme caution when removing trapped persons. OPERATIONAL POLICY  Power to the stalled elevator shall be shut off prior to removing trapped occupants if the car is not level with the floor landing.  A firefighter shall remain at the main power switch to ensure that the power to the stalled elevator is not turned back on until directed to do so by the officer in charge of the rescue operations.  A lock out / tag out system shall be used when a stalled elevator remains out of service after a rescue operation and no responsible party (repair technician or building representative) is on site. OPERATIONAL GUIDELINE 1. An elevator repair technician should be requested (either through dispatch or the building representative) prior to the start of rescue operations. Section 202.005b Page 2 of 6 2. If an elevator repair technician is responding and there are no life threatening emergencies noted upon arrival, FFD members should wait for the technician instead of engaging in high-risk rescue operations. 3. Standby emergency electrical power providing emergency movement of the elevators may be utilized if the building is so equipped. PROCESS The following procedural steps are offered as guidelines for members to use during elevator rescue operations when an elevator repair technician is delayed or unavailable. These steps provide a systematic approach, that when combined with additional knowledge of the particular elevator system and the emergency at hand can assist in the successful removal of trapped occupants. 1. Ensure an elevator repair technician has been requested . 2. Gather appropriate equipment prior to entering the building, including: a. Radios. b. Flashlights. c. Building/elevator keys. d. Pike pole. e. Irons. f. Wedges. g. Cell phone. 3. Make contact with a building representative and gather situational information, including: a. Reported location of stalled car. b. Reported number of trapped persons. c. Approximate length of entrapment. d. Reported medical issues. e. Recent incidents/issues with the elevator and their resolutions. 4. Order additional resources/equipment as needed. Section 202.005b Page 3 of 6 5. Locate the stalled elevator car. Use: a. Floor indicator in lobby. b. Program selector indicator in elevator machine room. c. Information provided by building representative. d. Voice contact with car occupants. 6. Make verbal contact with passengers and request a cell phone contact number. If multiple persons are trapped, ask for a single point of contact . a. Confirm there are no medical or fire emergencies. b. Assure passengers there is no immediate danger and firefighters are working to free them quickly. c. Find out what direction the car had been traveling and at which floor the door was last opened. d. If activated, return emergency stop switch to the original position. This will silence the alarm bell. 7. Confirm the stalled elevator number and hoistway location. a. Access elevator maintenance room and locate appropriate elevator power shut-off switch. b. When directed by the officer in charge, shut off power to stalled elevator. c. Remain at location and do not allow power to be turned back on without direct orders from the officer in charge. 8. Call a working elevator car to the level at which rescue personnel are operating and place it on independent or emergency service to hold it at the location. Examine the door opening mechanisms and control panel features on this car as they should be identical to the stalled car. Section 202.005b Page 4 of 6 9. Turn power to stalled elevator back on (Note: when turned off, power should remain off for a minimum of 30 seconds before being turned back on). While power to the elevator is off, the programming equipment may reset and cause the door to open if the car is level with the floor. 10. If the elevator door has not opened: a. Instruct a passenger to depress the door-open button. Many times this will cause the door to open. b. Send a firefighter to the floor landing where the elevator door was last opened. There may be a faulty contact switch on the hoistway door and shaking the door may cause the switch to make contact allowing the car to move. Also, have a passenger shake the elevator car door in case the problem is in the contact switch. c. Send a firefighter to depress the hall button on the floor directly above or below the stalled elevator, in the opposite direction from which the elevator was traveling. d. If the doors are the center-opening type, controlled by photo-detector devices and the car is level with the f loor, it may be possible to insert a piece of cardboard or similar item between the doors, breaking the light beam and causing the doors to open. 11. If the above operations have not caused the elevator car to move to a landing level and opened the door, the elevator shut-off switch should be returned to the off position. a. With the power shut off many elevator doors can be opened from the inside by the passengers pushing the doors in the opening direction. b. On most high-rise elevators, if the car floor is within the landing zone (usually 18 inches above or below the landing floor level), a pick-up vane on the car door will engage the hoistway door and open them. c. If the car is not within the landing zone, after the car door is opened, a passenger can manually move the latching device on the hoistway door. 12. If the doors cannot be opened by any of the methods listed to this point, and it is imperative passengers be removed quickly, the doors can be forced with pry bars or hydraulic tools. This should be considered only as a last resort and only for lifesaving operations due to the danger it presents to passengers and the extensive damage that is done to the doors. Section 202.005b Page 5 of 6 a. Prior to beginning operations to force the doors, passengers should be informed of what is going to be done and advised to move to a position in the car away from the doors. b. To force doors sufficient pressure must be exerted at the top of the hoistway door with pry bars or hydraulic tool to break the latch mechanism. Once the hoistway door is opened, the car door can be manually opened by pushing or prying it in the direction of opening travel. 13. Once elevator doors have been opened, use extreme caution in removing passengers from the elevator. Ensure power is off if the car is not level with the floor landing. 14. Remove passengers one at a time, as quickly as possible as is consistent with safety, utilizing ladders if the distance from the floor level to the elevator car requires it. a. If the car is above the floor landing, barricade the open space between the bottom of the car and the floor landing as it presents a hazard to passengers exiting the car and rescue personnel who are assisting them. 15. After the passengers have been removed, close the car and hoistway doors and keep the elevator out of service until it is examined by elevator service personnel. Use a lock out – tag out device. a. Follow this procedure even if the elevator appears to return to normal operation after rescue operations have been completed. INFORMATION There are three (3) main reasons that elevators become stalled in hoistways: 1) Electrical power failure. 2) Malfunction of control components. 3) Activation of safety devices. Regardless of the reason, trapped passengers are usually in no immediate danger and there is no reason to endanger the lives of firefighting members or civilians by engaging in high risk rescue operations. In the vast majority of these situations, it is best to wait for the arrival of elevator repair technician who can usually correct the problem and release the passengers in a very short time without undue hazard to the car occupants and damage to elevator equipment. Section 202.005b Page 6 of 6 Elevator companies normally have trained personnel on duty or on call 2 4 hours a day. Their knowledge and familiarity with the elevator system allows them to quickly determine the reason for the elevator stalling and restore it to normal operation. DEFINITIONS 1. Hoistway: Enclosed vertical shafts in which elevator cars travel. 2. Lock out – Tag out: A safety procedure used in industry and research settings to ensure dangerous machines are properly shut off and not able to be started up again prior to the completion of maintenance or repair work. CROSS-REFERENCES No cross-references recognized.