Addressing the Needs of People Using Elevators for Emergency Evacuation

US model codes and building regulations are recognizing the provision of protected elevators for occupant self-evacuation after more than two decades of training people that elevators are unsafe in fires. This reversal will require that people can readily identify those elevators that are safe to use and be provided with information and reassurances during use that the system is functioning safely. Lengthy discussions on the interactions between the systems and users have resulted in requirements for visual, audible, and voice messaging systems and operational protocols designed to provide reliable, real-time information needed by users to make informed decisions. The discussions have further identified the need for public education to provide for effective use by infrequent visitors to buildings equipped with these systems. The paper will discuss the approaches being developed to address these needs by a consortium of public and private organizations including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Elevator Industry Inc. (NEII), disability advocacy groups, and the fire alarm and model building code developers. There is an expectation that since a building’s elevators are used daily by the occupants, by keeping the system used in emergencies as close as possible to normal use, the provision of additional information on status and safety will represent sufficient reassurance to users. One of the outstanding issues identified in the discussions is the need for testing and verification that the approaches will be effective. Due to the difficulties inherent in human testing, there is a need for the inclusion of these features into observational research being conducted through required evacuation drills. Since elevator use is not prohibited now for non-fire emergency egress, this may provide the opportunity to test public response to the approaches being contemplated. The paper will suggest ideas for such research being included in planned studies and as a part of building commissioning.