Lift Fire Safety

Fires can break out at any time, no matter where you are or what you’re doing, and different situations require different courses of action to be taken.

If you find yourself in a lift when a fire breaks out, it can be very easy to panic – something which should be avoided as much as possible. Many fire service call-outs for lift ‘emergencies’ are genuine emergencies, so it is important to be aware of what is deserving of the fire brigade’s help and what isn’t, and how you can help prevent these situations from arising.

Appropriate Maintenance of Lifts for Fire Safety

One of the most important practices to undertake, particularly in relation to lift fire safety is the regular inspection and maintenance of all lifts in the building. It is the responsibility of the building manager or owner to arrange this service. Whether you use your business’ own on-site maintenance team or outsource this work to an external company, you can arrange for periodic visits, rather than having to arrange an inspection as and when you need to. This will help minimise the risk of faults.

Conduct a Fire Risk Assessment

This is also the responsibility of the building owner or manage, and can be carried out by your company’s on-site maintenance team or a professional lift maintenance contractor. A risk assessment allows any faults to be identified and resolved, which in many cases could be the difference between life and death. These assessments should also include appropriate procedures for potential situations where people are trapped in a lift.

Appropriate Equipment

Any person who is designated as a ‘competent person’ in the safety procedures should have access to all necessary equipment and information. The access keys to the lift motor room should be readily available to authorised personnel, as well as keys for opening the doors of the lift, and a release mechanism for brake release.

Lift Fire Safety Training

As well as the ‘competent persons’ in your business, all members of staff need to be fully informed and knowledgeable about the processes that are in place in the event of a fire. By doing this, you can help prevent confusion and panic, problems which are leading causes of death in emergency situations. Instructions as to what to do in an emergency should be stuck in the lift to ensure everyone knows what to do if a problem arises.

The fire brigade should only be called if the in-house processes do not work. It is important that these steps are carried out before the emergency services are called to prevent unnecessary wasting of time and resources.

Here at City Fire Protection, we specialise in providing fire safety equipment and training for businesses up and down the country. If you would like to benefit from the service that has made us a leading independent fire protection company, get in touch with us today and we’ll be happy to help.