Upon entering the EMR, locate the elevator shut-off switch, which will have a number that corresponds to the elevator car. Confirm the elevator car number. After initial troubleshooting techniques, the power will be turned off during all access attempts. Often, keys can be found in either the EMR or in an elevator key access box. The two most common keys are the articulating dropped key and the half-moon-shaped lunar key.
The key hole will resemble the shape of the key. Drop keys will turn side to side while the lunar key will require a lifting motion. Both keys serve the same purpose: to open the hoistway door. I have found the drop key to be the most common type used. Use of one of these keys releases a locking mechanism on the hoistway door. Hoistway doors can also be forced open using a set of irons, but that will cause major damage to the doors and may be dangerous to the rescuers.
Note: In the state of California, there are no elevator keyholes in the doors, so your options are to force the hoistway doors with a set of irons or use a Z key to release the latch. The Z key is a z-shaped piece of metal that can be slipped over the top corner of the door to trip the release on the inside of the hoistway door.
Accessing the Occupants If you open the hoistway doors and find that the elevator car is 3 feet or more above the opening, use a portable ladder to create a barrier to prevent someone from falling into the shaft. The door will also want to close, so to keep it open, insert a chock at its base. At this point, you should be looking at the inner elevator car door. There will be a latch to release the door or an arm that can be pulled to open the door. Once open, send a member into the car prior to allowing the occupants to jump out.
While the release is in the open position, another member slides the door open. Tip: Use a glove-free hand if the door surface is slippery.
With the power to the elevator turned off, open the hoistway door above the stalled car. Personnel entering the shaft should have PPE appropriate to secure themselves to the car top as needed e. A ladder may also be needed to access the car top.
Prior to entering the shaft, visually locate the counterbalance weight for the stalled car and the adjacent car, and shut down the adjacent car to avoid any contact with it. Better yet, shut down the other car as well to avoid any contact with a moving car or counterbalance weight.
Locate the car top shut-off and light switches. Turn off the car top power and turn on the car top light switch. Then locate the car top access panel. There may be a slide-bolt lock, wing nuts on threaded studs or other locking devices on the panel. Even with the locking mechanism open or removed, the access hatch is often stuck, so you may need a Halligan to pry it open.
Once you open the hatch, insert a ladder into the car top a folding attic ladder works well for this and send a responder into the car to talk with and organize the occupants. A responder should be stationed on top of the car to assist occupants over the top of the car and past the elevator door opener.
Moving Hydraulic Elevator Cars Lowering a hydraulic elevator so that it lines up with the landing is becoming an accepted access technique. To perform, use the bleeder valve in the EMR at the reservoir tank to lower the car. Once the power is secured to the elevator, members should open the hoist way elevator door s closest to the area of the stalled elevator car.
Use the elevator rescue keys to open the hoist way doors. It is important to train on the different elevator keys and how to operate each one in their corresponding lock mechanism.
Safety Note — Be careful when opening the door s because there may not be an elevator in front of you. Look up and down the shaft for the stalled elevator car and open the hoist way door closest to the top of elevator car.
This will be important for a scenario where the elevator car is stalled in between floors. If we are unable to open the hoist way door s to access the elevator car notify your communications center to have a building representative respond as well as an elevator repair technician. This will be discussed later on. Again, communicate with the occupants. Get a status report of their conditions, seeing if their conditions have changed and now need medical attention.
Let them know what the process will be in their removal. The 1st scenario would be an elevator car that is stalled even with or close, within 2 feet, of the floor landing.
Chock the hoist way door open so it does not close. We will then be looking at the interior elevator car door. Explain to the occupants and have them move to the back of the elevator car before opening the door to prevent anyone from accidentally rushing out the doors before we are ready to assist in their removal. Members will have to lift the latch to release the door and then begin removing the occupants in an orderly fashion one at a time.
The 2nd scenario would be an elevator car that is stalled about 3 feet above the floor landing. We will follow the same steps as a stalled elevator car that is even except that we must block the opening to the shaft below the elevator.
Once the interior car door is open have a member assist each occupant out of the car. You may set up a small step-ladder on the landing floor to assist in the removal of occupants. Have firefighters on the floor assist the occupant down the steps of the ladder ensuring that no one falls into the open elevator shaft. The 3rd scenario would be that the floor of the elevator car is about 3 feet below the landing.
We will follow the same steps as a stalled elevator car that is even with the landing except we will have a member descend into the car and place a small step-ladder in the car to assist in removal of the occupants. Be sure to watch and protect the heads of the occupants from hitting the top of the elevator car as they climb out. Have firefighters on the floor assist the occupants as they climb up the ladder. The 4th scenario would be for an elevator that is stalled in between 2 floors.
There are more hazards associated with this scenario. Have a Chief Officer assume command so that the company officer can properly supervise the members. Also, appoint a Safety Officer to oversee operations. All members that will be operating on top of the elevator car must be in proper PPE with a harness to secure them to the top of the car to prevent them from falling into the elevator shaft.
Just as we did for the other previous scenarios ensure that the power to the elevator car has been shut off, locked and tagged out. If the stalled car is in a bank with other elevators it is imperative that the other elevator car s be taken out of service and located within 1 floor below the stalled car or evening with it if possible.
This will serve two purposes. First, by stopping the cars there is no longer movement of cables, counter-weights, and cars in the adjoining shafts. Secondly, by bringing the other cars up to the area of the stalled car, we create a platform below the area of operation. Once the cars are in the proper location the power is to be shut off, locked and tagged. Then open the hoist way doors from the floor above the stalled elevator. When members are performing an elevator car top removal of occupants, ensure that there is enough man power as well as enough lighting.
It is important to know where we are stepping. Again, communication with the occupants is a must. Let them know each step as we go through the rescue process. A ladder may be needed to gain access to the top of the car.
Once our members are on the top of the stalled car, find the elevator control switches and shut the power switch off to the car.
This procedure may seem redundant but it ensures that the power is cut to the motor. Locate and remove the hatch and pass the hatch up and out of the elevator shaft. A ladder will be needed to assist in the removal of the occupants, a folding attic ladder works well for this scenario.
Have one member of our crew descend into the car and triage in what order the occupants will be removed. Have two member stationed on the top of the car, one by the top of the hatch, and the other by the foot of the ladder to ladder to assist in occupant removal to the floor above.
Each occupant as they are being removed should have a harness which is attached to a life safety belay line that is rigged up on the floor above.
Another member should be at the tip of the ladder to assist the occupant off the ladder onto the floor above. This is a long cylindrical key that is hinged toward one end of the key with a flat drop piece of metal. The drop key is inserted into a small hole in the upper area of the hoistway door and is slid into the hole.
It is rotated until you feel it hit the rod or closure assembly. It is then rotated to release the hoistway door from the closed position. There are numerous styles of elevator rescue keys dependent on those found in your area.
Your department should equip you with the proper tools. Elevator car control panel. The panel located inside the elevator car. Communication equipment is often located on this panel. Elevator control panel. Elevator keys. Many times, these keys are controlled by local ordinances. Elevator machine room. This room is usually located above the hoistway where the motors that raise and lower the elevator cars are located. Be aware that these motors may also be below or adjacent to the bottom of the hoistway shaft.
The electrical power control switches are also located here. For hydraulic elevators, the machine room is located in an area below the hoistway or in a room adjacent to the elevator on the first floor. Emergency stop button. This is electric button, when activated, will stop the elevator car in the hoistway.
An alarm bell may ring when it is activated. Express elevator. This elevator that travels directly from the ground floor to a sky lobby or bypass numerous floors in high-rise building.
Firefighter service. This is a key switch located on the elevator and elevator car control panels that allow firefighters to take control of the movement of the elevator car. Hoistway doors. These doors are attached to the hoistway shaft. They are visible from the elevator lobby, which may either be a sliding design or hinge-type door that usually opens outward from the car.
Hydraulic elevators. This is an elevator that uses hydraulic fluid, a hydraulic pump, and a lifting piston to raise and lower an elevator car. Hydraulic elevators are limited to buildings six stories high or less. Main electrical power switch. The switches should also indicate which elevator it controls. This switch does not control the lighting and ventilation in the elevator car. Sky lobby elevator. This elevator is used in high-rise buildings where elevators start at the ground level and end their service at a higher floor level but not at the top floor.
At that higher floor, passengers must exit one elevator and move to another elevator that services only the higher floors of the building. When people find themselves in a stalled elevator, they will usually try operating it by activating every button on the elevator control panel, hoping they can get the elevator moving again. When they find this effort to be unsuccessful, they will contact the local office with their cellphones or they may activate the Emergency Alarm switch; this will usually lead other building occupants to call The office will then notify the local fire department.
An elevator rescue operation requires firefighters to operate at different levels of a building remote from one another. A response of one engine, one ladder, a chief officer, and an emergency medical services unit is necessary for safe and coordinate operations. Each fire company will have a responsibility all its own that is interdependent with the operations of other fire companies. Communication between all companies is key for a successful operation.
The responding engine company should arrive and enter the building with all the necessary equipment they it will need to successfully remove occupants from the elevator car. The firefighters should be in full personal protective equipment PPE [without self-contained breathing apparatus SCBA ], and have elevator keys, a drop key, rescue rope, hand lights, wood chocks, a portable radio, and a standard tool kit.
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