Toronto Fire Services Training Note on Elevators PDF

Fire Services Training Division Training Note FROM: Fire Chief EFFECTIVE DATE: March 25, 2019 FILE IN TFS TRAINING MANUAL UNDER: GROUP: 100 Firefighting Knowledge and Skills SECTION: 101 Buildings SUB-SECTION: 101.1 High Rise Buildings UNIT: 101.1.1 Elevators TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION..........

Fire Services Training Division Training Note FROM: Fire Chief EFFECTIVE DATE: March 25, 2019 FILE IN TFS TRAINING MANUAL UNDER: GROUP: 100 Firefighting Knowledge and Skills SECTION: 101 Buildings SUB-SECTION: 101.1 High Rise Buildings UNIT: 101.1.1 Elevators TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................. 2 2. TYPES OF ELEVATORS..................................................................................... 2 3. ELEVATOR USES................................................................................................ 2 4. FIREFIGHTER ELEVATORS............................................................................... 3 5. MODES OF ELEVATOR OPERATION................................................................ 5 6. SHUNT TRIP DEVICES AND WARNING LIGHTS.............................................. 7 8. DESTINATION DISPATCH ELEVATORS........................................................... 8 9. FIREFIGHTER SAFETY....................................................................................... 8 Toronto Fire Services Training Division Training Note: 101.1.1 Date Prepared: March 2019 Page 1 of 9 1. INTRODUCTION During normal operation elevators move people and goods quickly and efficiently throughout the building. During emergencies firefighters rely on elevators to shuttle crews and equipment to all levels of a building. Firefighters manage the elevators in an emergency and need to be familiar with their operation in all modes of service. 2. TYPES OF ELEVATORS The two most common types of elevators are Hydraulic and Traction. Hydraulic Elevators Hydraulic elevators operate by use of a piston filled with hydraulic fluid under pressure that lifts and lowers the elevator. Hydraulic elevator service is normally limited to five or six stories. Elevator Machine rooms for Hydraulic Elevators are usually located at the bottom of the elevator shaft. Traction elevators Traction elevators operate by use of long hoisting cables that pass over a traction sheave. The cable is attached to the elevator car and a counterweight. Elevator machine rooms for Traction Elevators are usually one or two floors above the top floor served. 3. ELEVATOR USES Passenger Elevators The most common type of elevator used for the transportation of people in residential and commercial High Rises. Passenger elevator shafts are often designed to accommodate multiple cars. Toronto Fire Services Training Division Training Note: 101.1.1 Date Prepared: March 2019 Page 2 of 9 Service Elevators Service Elevators may be passenger type elevators but will usually be oversized having extra height and wider doors. Freight Elevators Freight Elevators are intended for moving freight and large goods and not intended for passenger use. Freight Elevators are typically superior to passenger cars in square footage, height and weight capacity and are often designed with a single dedicated elevator shaft. Initial crews should avoid using Freight Elevators as they are slow, provide no protection from heat and smoke and may not service the entire building. 4. FIREFIGHTER ELEVATORS Technical Standards and Safety Authority The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) is the authority having jurisdiction in the Province of Ontario for all elevators. The Ontario Building Code and Ontario Fire Code provide general guidelines for the installation and operation of elevating devices to meet the needs of fire fighters. It is the TSSA that has overall responsibility for elevators. The Ontario Building Code (OBC) The Ontario Building Code requires one designated fire fighter elevator to be installed in residential and institutional buildings greater than 18 meters in height from grade or about 6 stories. Other buildings, classified as assembly, office, mercantile or industrial occupancies, also require a designated Fire Fighter Elevator, but only in buildings higher than 36 meters from grade. Fire Fighter Elevators installed to OBC standards can be identified by a RED HELMET located: on or near the frame of the elevator on the key switch plate near the elevator at the recall level on a similar switch on the control panel, in the elevator car Toronto Fire Services Training Division Training Note: 101.1.1 Date Prepared: March 2019 Page 3 of 9 Red Helmet (Ontario Building Code - OBC) An elevator identified with a RED helmet indicates it is designated as a firefighter elevator under the Ontario Building Code and is equipped with safety features when in Fire Service Mode: the car services all floors. it has manual and automatic recall of designated car and any other cars in the same shaft. the car is equipped with full in car emergency service phase controls. the control switch inside the car will be marked with the word EMERGENCY or FIRE OPERATIONS, in red. minimum floor area must be 2.2 M and it must be large enough to accommodate a stretcher. the car must be capable of bearing a 900 kg load. must have an emergency power supply of minimum two hours duration. elevator shafts cannot be used as a smoke vent. all power and control wiring are fire rated for one hour. the car must be able to travel from ground floor or main entry level to the top floor in one minute. The manual recall switch must be located in the entry-level lobby or at the Central Alarm Control Facility room, if present. Ontario Fire Code (OFC) The Ontario Fire Code requires buildings that were built prior to the 1975 Building Code be updated or retrofitted with a designated Fire Fighter Elevator. Firefighter elevators installed to OFC standards can be identified by a yellow helmet located: On or near the elevator frame at the recall level In the car adjacent to the emergency switch. Yellow Helmet (Ontario Fire Code - OFC) An elevator identified with a YELLOW helmet indicates it is designated as a firefighter's elevator under the Ontario Fire Code but does not have all the features of an OBC compliant elevator. elevators are not required to automatically return to the entry level floor control switch in the elevator is marked by the word EMERGENCY in yellow. car floor area does not have to accommodate a stretcher shafts may not be totally smoke proof car is not required to bear 900 kg elevator may not have an emergency power supply equipment is not required to be fire rated no minimum speed is required Toronto Fire Services Training Division Training Note: 101.1.1 Date Prepared: March 2019 Page 4 of 9 No Designation Lack of a Fire Fighter designation does not mean the elevators cannot be used by firefighters, it simply means that the elevators don't fully comply with all the requirements necessary to qualify as a Firefighter Designated Elevator under the OBC or the OFC. 5. MODES OF ELEVATOR OPERATION There are three types of Elevator Operational Modes Fire Service Operation Automatic Independent/Service Fire Service Operation Fire Service Operation takes elevator control completely away from occupants either by an alarm activation or Firefighter initiated action. Phase One returns occupants to safety while Phase Two gives Firefighters total control of elevator functions including door opening and door closing. Fire Service Operation consists of two phases, Phase One (Recall) and Phase Two Phase 1 – Recall Phase One or 'Recall’ is the function that returns elevators to a safe floor away from the fire location. When recalled, the doors open and normal operation shuts down. Phase One can be initiated either automatically from the fire alarm system or manually from a Firefighter Emergency Operation (FEO) key switch located either at the elevator panel in the CACF room or in the lobby at the primary recall floor. In some buildings, every elevator will recall regardless of the alarm location or elevator zoning. In other buildings, with multiple zones, only elevators in the affected zone will recall. The Phase One key switch may be either a two or three position switch. The two-position switch is an ‘On/Off’ switch. ‘Off’ is its normal everyday operating position and ‘On’ is the recall position. The ‘Off’ position returns the elevator back to Automatic Operation once the alarm has been reset. Three position switches, in addition to the ‘On/Off’ positions, will have a ‘Reset’ position. This position returns the elevator to Automatic Operation once the alarm has been reset. Toronto Fire Services Training Division PHASE 1 FEO KEY SWITCH Training Note: 101.1.1 Date Prepared: March 2019 Page 5 of 9 Phase 2 - Firefighter Emergency Operation Phase Two operation gives firefighters complete control over the elevator under emergency conditions. Phase Two is not possible until phase one is complete. The Phase Two switches are either two or three position switches and are located inside the elevator. They can be visible or found behind a closed panel. The normal position of the two-position switch is ‘Off’. The other positions are ‘On’ or ‘Fire Service’. The threeposition switch has a ‘Hold’ position. After removing the FEO key from the Phase One key switch, before entering the elevator, firefighters must shine a light up the elevator shaft to check for smoke, water or fire. If any of these are present, do not use this elevator. If the shaft is clear, enter the elevator and insert the key into the Phase Two switch. Turn the key to the ‘On’ position. The key is now locked in the keyway and cannot be removed. Select desired floor and press and hold the ‘Door Close’ button until doors have completely closed and the car begins to move. If the button is released before the doors have closed, they will reopen. When the elevator has reached the desired floor, the doors will not open until the ‘Door Open’ button is pushed and held. If the button is released before the doors are open, they will close automatically. This ‘peek’ feature is a safety measure. If smoke or fire is encountered, the button can quickly be released and the doors will close, protecting firefighters inside. After the doors open, the elevator will remain at that floor until the sequence is repeated to close them again. If the Phase Two switch has a ‘Hold’ position, firefighters may turn the key to that position after arriving at the desired floor and opening the doors. ’Hold’ will ensure the elevator remains static. PHASE 2 FEO KEY SWITCH Automatic Service (Normal) This is the normal day to day operation where elevators respond to floor calls while delivering occupants to various levels. When the elevator arrives at a floor the doors open automatically and remain open for a pre-determined time. Toronto Fire Services Training Division Training Note: 101.1.1 Date Prepared: March 2019 Page 6 of 9 Normal service is unsuitable for emergency operations involving fire for these reasons: Doors will not close if smoke is encountered as it will break the door beam sensor that prevents closing when someone is standing in the doorway Elevators would continue to respond to floor calls from occupants. They travel in one direction fully before reversing direction. Doors open automatically upon arrival to each floor Once emergency operations have concluded the process to return to Automatic Service is to first return the elevators to the main recall floor and to turn the Phase Two switch to ‘Off’. Take out the FEO Key and insert it into the phase one switch. If the switch is a twoposition switch, turn the key to ‘Off’. If the phase one switch has three positions, turn the key to ‘Bypass’ or ‘Reset’ then to ‘Off’. You might have to hold the key at ‘Bypass’ or ‘Reset’ for ten seconds before turning it to ‘Off’ if your first attempt had no success. Independent or Service Mode This mode is typically used by building staff. The elevator no longer responds to floor call requests and is dedicated to a single user via the use of a key. Typically, a key switch is located behind a locked panel inside the elevator car and once activated the user has control of that car. The user presses a ‘door close’ button and selects a floor. When the elevator arrives at that floor the doors open automatically and remain open until the operator once again presses the door close button. Independent or Service Mode is NOT designed for emergency operations. Even though the elevator no longer responds to floor calls and gives the firefighters control of the destination floor. The door beam sensor is still active in this phase. Smoke blocking the beam will prevent the door from closing. 6. SHUNT TRIP DEVICES AND WARNING LIGHTS The adverse effects of water on elevator circuitry cannot be overstressed. Heat and smoke in the elevator shaft interfere with normal elevator functions. A common component of elevator installations, designed to protect firefighters but which can also trap them, is the Shunt Trip device. Shunt trips are found in installations that have sprinklers in the elevator shaft. Prior to the temperature reaching the level at which the sprinklers activate, the shunt trip kills the power to the elevator motor. Most elevator cars have a light on the panel which is illuminated when the car is put into Phase Two service. It may be a fire helmet, a Maltese cross or the words ‘Fire Service’ and it will be constant and steady. If the light goes from steady to blinking this is a warning to us. The elevator should not be used. The flashing light indicates that one of the Fire Alarm Initiating Devices (located in the elevator room, lobby landings and/or hoist-way) has been activated. Toronto Fire Services Training Division Training Note: 101.1.1 Date Prepared: March 2019 Page 7 of 9 7. RELATIONSHIP OF ELEVATORS AND STACK EFFECT Stack Effect is the natural movement of air in and out of a structure. See TN 105.6 - Stack Effect for more information. Elevator shaft doors are not air tight. If a fire is on a lower floor on a cold day, air currents can carry smoke into elevator hoist ways and disperse it on upper floors. If a fire is on an upper floor on a hot day, air currents can carry smoke into elevator hoist ways and disperse it on lower floors. Example: Elevators, in response to the fire alarm, will recall to the lobby and their doors will open. Smoke from the fire floor rushes into the hoist way, down the elevator shaft and into the lobby through the Open elevator doors (reverse stack effect). 8. DESTINATION DISPATCH ELEVATORS Destination Dispatch Elevators are becoming increasingly common in commercial and high-end residential buildings. They differ from other elevators in that they have no call buttons in the lobby and no floor buttons in the elevator car. Passengers use a touchscreen or keypad on a pedestal in the lobby and select their desired floor. The system tells them which elevator to stand in front of and dispatches that elevator to pick them up. Once inside the elevator there are no floor buttons, passengers are delivered to their desired floor where they exit. Fire Service operation works the same as with traditional systems, the only difference is that the Phase Two controls and floor call buttons are behind a locked panel inside the car. The panel is supposed to unlock automatically when the system goes into Phase One. If the panel does not unlock the FEO Key should unlock it. 9. FIREFIGHTER SAFETY Firefighters should always make mental note of the location of stairwells prior to entering the elevator. Stairwell location and building layout may change from floor to floor. This practice will ensure that crews have a good idea of where to exit should an emergency arise and evacuation from the elevator become necessary. A firefighter shall be assigned as Elevator Control and remain with the elevator during a ‘fire’ incident as per SOG Elevator Control. Firefighters shall ensure the proper operation of the elevator’s functions while in Phase Two: Call Cancel – after choosing a floor for the elevator to ascend to, hit call cancel. The elevator should not continue ascending to that floor. Door Open – the door should start to open while this button is held. While in phase two, if this button is let go, the door should immediately close again. Door Close – the door should start to close while this button is held. While in phase two, if this button is let go, the door should immediately open again. Toronto Fire Services Training Division Training Note: 101.1.1 Date Prepared: March 2019 Page 8 of 9 If the elevator is not working properly, or if it is acting erratically, the elevator should be exited as soon as safely possible. The Incident Commander should be made aware of the inability to use that elevator. Hoist-ways should be checked for water, smoke or fire. If any of these conditions exist, another elevator or stairs must be used to ascend. Firefighters should stop two floors below the reported alarm or fire for three reasons: Scissor Stairs – the stairwell will bring you to the same geographic location on the fire floor as where you entered two floors below. Access Stairs – an alarm may activate on a floor above the fire because smoke and/or heat has travelled up access stairs giving a false indication of where the fire is. Safety Margin – information gathered from an initial size up of the building, or from residents may not be exact. Smoke travel may dictate being ‘on air’ on a lower floor than the fire floor. Firefighters should take the opportunity to size up the floor plan, standpipe location, unit numbers and stairwell locations while in a non IDLH atmosphere two floors below the fire. The layout of the fire floor is typically the same. Toronto Fire Services Training Division Training Note: 101.1.1 Date Prepared: March 2019 Page 9 of 9