Workshop on Elevator Use During Fires

Published

January 1, 1993

Author(s)

J H. Klote, Scott Deal, Bernard M. Levin, N E. Groner, E. A. Donoghue

Abstract

Throughout most of the world, warning signs next to elevators indicate they should not be used in fire situations. These elevators are not intended as means of fire egress, and they should not be used for fire evacuation (Sumka 1988). The idea of using elevators to speed up fire evacuation and to evacuate persons with disabilities has gained considerable attention (Bazjanac 1974, Bazjanac 1977, Pauls, 1977, Pauls, Gatfield and Juillet 1991, Gatfield 1991, Degenkolb 1991, and Fox 1991). A Workshop on Elevator Use During Fires was held at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD on September 29, 1992. This workshop consisted of presentations and an opn discussion. The presentations were about NIST elevator research by John H. Klote, about human considerations by Bernard M. Levin and Norman E.Groner, and about industry concerns by Edward A. Donoghue. This paper is an overview of these presentations and the open discussions.

Citation

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR) - 4993

Report Number

4993

NIST Pub Series

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.4993

Keywords

elevators (lifts), smoke control, evacuation, staging areas

Citation

Klote, J. , Deal, S. , Levin, B. , Groner, N. and Donoghue, E. (1993), Workshop on Elevator Use During Fires, NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.4993 (Accessed October 11, 2025)