A firefighting lift is used in an emergency situation to transport firefighters and their equipment to a designated floor. A firefighting lift looks and functions like a normal lift and can be used by the general public in normal circumstances.
However, they differ from a regular lift by having a secondary power supply and fire protected lift shaft, along with a lift control system, lift machinery and lift communications system. A firefighting lift is designed to function as long as is practicable in a fire situation, whereas a regular lift may fail if the power supply is interrupted, and people may become trapped inside (this is the reason the public are told not to use a lift when there is a fire).
When a firefighting lift is installed in a premises, it is the duty of the Responsible Person (usually the owner of the building or the managing agent) to ensure that the firefighting lift is regularly maintained.
Monthly checks should be made of any lifts within the building that are designed to be used by firefighters (with the addition of evacuation lifts), and of the mechanism which allows firefighters to take control of lifts.
These and other monthly checks should be recorded in an open and transparent way that is accessible to residents. This is a legal requirement under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (2005), and a Fire Safety Inspector may ask the Responsible Person to provide evidence that the firefighting lift has been maintained.
Checks at the same frequency should be applied to key firefighting equipment. Where the Responsible Person identifies, either through the monthly checks or via any other routine checks, that a relevant lift or mechanism has a fault or is out of service, they must report it to the local Fire and Rescue Service electronically.
The Responsible Person will not have to inform their local FRS immediately regarding a fault they believe can be resolved within the 24-hour exception reporting timeframe. If the issue cannot be resolved in 24 hours, they must report it to the FRS as soon as practicable. The Responsible Person is expected to arrange for the issues to be fixed and report back to the FRS once resolved.
Essential firefighting equipment as defined by the regulations includes:
- Firefighting lifts
- Evacuation lifts
- Rising main, dry and wet
- Fixed communication systems
- Common fire alarms or panels, including any detectors linked ancillary equipment such as smoke control or firefighting lifts
- Evacuation alert systems
- Sprinklers and other suppression systems
- Automatic door openers/closers linked to alarm systems
- Smoke control systems, including smoke curtains
Responsible Persons will also be expected to report on any compromise they uncover during checks to the firefighting shaft due to building work or vandalism (removed doors, smashed glass or other failure that allows smoke spread).
Further reading:
Fact sheet: Lifts and essential fire-fighting equipment (regulation 7)