September-October 2011

Elevator Use: Are We Missing Floor Numbers?

 

By Michael Terpak

There is variations of opinion within the fire service for when to use an elevator in a high-rise building fire. Some will state that if the fire is on the sixth floor or above, firefighters may use a “fire service” equipped elevator. Others will go higher and state the seventh. floor. Still other fire departments will allow additional building features such as a sky lobby and elevator shaft design to influence the decision. The point here is that each department must have a procedure that is clearly stated and defined that must also alert their members to any concerns that could affect their safety.

In Jersey City, (JCFD) members are required to comply with an elevator procedure that states, “If a fire or smoke condition is reported on seventh. floor or above the lobby or sky lobby, use of an 'fire service' equipped elevator is authorized.” To eliminate confusion and further clarify, we further state, “If the fire or smoke condition is within six floors of the lobby or sky lobby, members are required to walk up.” Another number procedure that most in the fire service will agree with is that use of an elevator will be limited to two floors below the lowest floor reporting smoke or fire. So with a fire reported on floor 10 and smoke reported on floor 9, members will take the elevator to floor 7 and exit on that floor. The obvious concern with this procedure is to build in a margin of safety. To go a little further, we also remind our members to give consideration to adding another floor to this procedure on very hot weather days and exiting three floors below in the event a reverse stack effect is pulling smoke below the actual fire floor. As you can gather, the above is a “numbers” game that all need to understand and comply with.

But the main objective of this “nugget” focuses around recent information and additional numerical references added into our high-procedures. To add a challenge to the above, give thought to the following. For as long as many of us can remember, the number “13” has been feared as being an unlucky number that many in society have avoided for one reason or another. It is for this same reason that some building owners and property managers have eliminated the number “13” as a floor reference or apartment reference in their buildings. This fear or superstitious reference is technically referred to as “triskaidekaphobia.” Many of us in the fire service are reminded of this as we enter into buildings to look for the presence or lack of the number “13” as we start to ascend up into a high-rise building.

But this superstition doesn’t end here. The Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese and Asian to name the most common, also fear the number “4.” The number “4” is feared because it is a “homonym” for death in their language. In many of the diverse areas of the country, fire departments have to expect distant practices and cultures to be in their own back yards and be prepared to deal with what others may seem as the norm. This is of interest in Jersey City and I’m sure in many other cities and towns around the country. As a matter of great concern and critical to fire department operations for us is in our city, we have a number of high-rise structures that do NOT reference the number “4” anywhere in their buildings. This concern can be as simple as a missing apartment number, but more importantly, a missing floor reference. In a number of identified high-rise buildings, the fire department will not find a 4, 14, 24, 34, 44, etc. floor reference within the building. This is not only critical to understand, but more essential to factor into our decision-making. As we indicated above, JCFD policy limits elevator use to “two floors below the lowest floor,” reporting smoke and/or fire. So as we put all of this together, a missing 13 or 4, 14, 24, etc. floor reference will greatly affect our, and possibly your, decision-making especially when you add all of the concerns and previous numerical references mentioned above. This is without doubt a critical piece of information that must be part of a pre-plan, or at the very least, part of an on-scene “size-up” with the information shared and followed without exception.

I’m sure these concerns are not limited to just my city. It is important to take a look and review all of your numbers, identify the concerns, and make sure you are prepared to do the math.

Stay Safe!

 

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