EM – The population of the earth is growing, which means that the living density is getting denser and the direction of vertical urban development is imperative. This means that super high-rise buildings will appear more and more. But if there is an incident, is it safe to use the stairs to escape or do we need to think about adding a rescue elevator in case of an emergency?
Standards for elevators in high-rise buildings and functions in case of emergency (fire, earthquake, …) are specified in Articles 62 and 63 of Regulation on Protection of Buildings from Fire – issued by Turkey, added in November 2021. This can be a reference to build disaster response scenarios with the function of elevators in super tall buildings.
Emergency Elevator
(1) Elevators are set up to ensure that fire crews are able to reach upper floors to carry out necessary rescue procedures and evacuate the disabled. It must be controlled by rescue teams in the event of a fire or emergency.
(2) For buildings with a construction height of more than 51.5 m, at least 1 elevator must be arranged as an escape elevator for emergency use.
(3) The emergency elevator must have a cabin area of at least 1.8 m², a speed that ensures it moves from the ground floor to the top floor in 1 minute. In the event of an emergency, it must be connected to an emergency generator that will automatically activate and remain operational for a minimum of 60 minutes.
Subject to these terms, passenger elevators and emergency elevators have capacities that match the traffic estimates for each high-rise building. Emergency situations for buildings must also be scripted and tested.
Develop special case scenarios
1. In case of fire
If an alarm in the form of a fire signal is received, the “fire scenario” is activated immediately. There will be a number of floor points that are selected as the rescue floor by default, which is the gathering place to escape. After that, the rescue elevator will default to bring people to the ground floor (floor 0).
In other special situations, the elevator will move to the pre-set alternate stop regardless of whether the impact of fire is on the elevator. The alternate exit floor is set to Level 1.
Or based on the warning signals of the fire system in the building, the elevator will stop at the nearest floor stop.
2. In case of earthquake
The installed earthquake sensor will automatically issue a warning signal. If a moving elevator receives an earthquake signal, they will move to the nearest floor in the direction of their movement and evacuate passengers by opening the door. Other elevators in idle mode continue to wait with the doors open to be ready to rescue passengers.
“Program” the evacuation script in case of an emergency
Why are additional situations necessary?
There are a number of real-world scenarios that can be used to develop regulations and solutions to prevent human risks in high-rise buildings.
1. Stairs: In an emergency situation, evacuation can be done using pressurized emergency stairs.
However, this method is difficult to do in high-rise buildings with the number of floors about 40-50, even higher than that, especially in a state of panic. Even healthy young people have difficulties, let alone the elderly and young children. And if it is possible to climb the stairs, the time is also too large, leading to the risk of unsafety.
2. Fire Fighting: In the event of a fire, fire crews or firefighters can respond to the fire using the emergency lift while everyone is evacuated using the emergency stairs for a short period of time. The elevator shaft and the front of the landing doors are automatically pressurized and the evacuation process continues safely because the doors of the exit stairs are manufactured to be fireproof.
Evacuating the elderly, disabled and sick who were trapped on higher floors during the fire became a dilemma. If there is only one emergency elevator, response capacity is limited and the necessary actions cannot be taken to evacuate.
3. Earthquake: All elevators must go to the nearest floor, open the door and be disconnected in case of earthquake, in case of jamming the elevator cabin.
After an earthquake occurs, many elevators will malfunction. At that time, maintenance units will not be able to access all elevators at the same time for immediate handling, and there may be more dangerous elevator jams. At that time, tall buildings will isolate people living on high floors. The addition of emergency elevators in these situations is essential, of course, after the elevator operator has checked that the operation of the elevator is guaranteed.
Additional scenarios need to be checked
Building management should review emergency situations after incidents occur with buildings.
1. The power supply system has a problem
Additional power is supplied to the elevator through a generator that will be activated during power cuts in the building. The fire suppression system and the emergency lift are provided through an additional power line independent of the main line. This will ensure the operation of the normal elevator system and also the emergency elevator, to ensure that movement in the building will be completely uninterrupted.
In addition, the risk of lightning should also be taken into account. The surge protection system must be periodically checked. Surge arresters are used to protect electrical systems against overvoltage.
2. Evacuate the elderly and disabled in case of fire
At least one fire-resistant emergency elevator, which is shaft pressurized and can be controlled via the operator’s switch, is required. This way, firefighters will be able to respond to fires and make evacuations under their control when needed.
3. Fire or injury after an earthquake
Firstly, elevators in seismic zones must meet the provisions of “TS EN 81-77 Lifts – Safety rules for construction and installation – Specific applications for passenger and freight elevators – Part 77: Elevators subjected to seismic conditions” (European Standard EN issued and supplemented in June 2022).
Such measures do not require much expense but will be effective in emergency situations such as earthquakes and fires.
Therefore, at least two of the elevators must be set up to be able to function as emergency backup.
The impact of earthquakes can vary in buildings. According to actual research, the lower part of the building is barely impacted while the upper part can sway more. This increases the possibility of the cabin deviating from the guide rails. Therefore, they need to be checked immediately after the incident.
It is also important to ensure that the shaft is clear of obstructions, and this inspection should also be performed if repairs are to be made in the shaft.
Having two elevators that can respond to situations like injury or fire builds confidence in the building’s occupants.
Conclusion
High-rise building limits can start from 30 m to 80 m and are based on the accessibility of the building by the fire department. In the picture below, it can be seen that the fire truck can only respond to the incident remotely due to the inability to reach the building.
Photo: Yazcan Ölmez, M.Fatih Arıcan, Pelin İspir Eserol, Serdar Tavaslıoğlu
Buildings higher than the high-rise construction limit should be classified as “ultra-high-rise buildings” and additional measures may be taken. The inspection of super high-rise buildings and the effectiveness of the measures should also be checked annually.
(According Elevator World)
