F89 Elevator Emergency Operations and Firefighter Service 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of Phase I elevator recall during a fire emergency?
- To allow occupants to quickly evacuate using elevators
- To automatically return all elevators to a designated recall floor for fire department use (Correct answer)
- To lock all elevators between floors until the fire is contained
- To send elevators to the floor above the fire for firefighter staging
Correct answer: To automatically return all elevators to a designated recall floor for fire department use
Phase I elevator recall automatically returns elevators to a designated floor so firefighters can access and control them without encountering building occupants.
Question 2: Which device most commonly triggers automatic Phase I elevator recall?
- Heat detectors located on the building roof
- Manual pull stations on any occupied floor
- Smoke detectors in elevator lobbies, hoistways, or machine rooms (Correct answer)
- Sprinkler heads activated anywhere in the building
Correct answer: Smoke detectors in elevator lobbies, hoistways, or machine rooms
Smoke detectors specifically located in elevator lobbies, hoistways, and machine rooms trigger automatic Phase I recall because these areas directly affect elevator safety.
Question 3: During Phase I recall, if smoke is detected at the primary recall floor, elevators should travel to:
- The highest floor in the building to avoid smoke
- The floor immediately below the fire floor
- The floor where the alarm was first activated
- A pre-designated alternate recall floor free of smoke (Correct answer)
Correct answer: A pre-designated alternate recall floor free of smoke
When the primary recall floor is compromised by smoke, elevators automatically divert to a pre-programmed alternate recall floor to ensure a safe, smoke-free landing point.
Question 4: In Phase II elevator service, who operates the elevator?
- The FLSD remotely from the fire command station
- Trained firefighters using a designated fire service key from inside the cab (Correct answer)
- The building engineer from the elevator machine room
- Any authorized building staff member during the emergency
Correct answer: Trained firefighters using a designated fire service key from inside the cab
Phase II elevator service gives firefighters direct in-cab control using a designated fire service key, allowing them to move to any floor without stopping for passengers.
Question 5: The FLSD's primary responsibility regarding elevators during a fire alarm is to:
- Activate Phase II mode at the fire command station for firefighters
- Direct all occupants to service elevators for faster evacuation
- Ensure occupants use stairwells and do not attempt to use elevators (Correct answer)
- Coordinate with the elevator maintenance contractor to inspect all cabs
Correct answer: Ensure occupants use stairwells and do not attempt to use elevators
The FLSD must direct all occupants to stairwells and prevent elevator use during any fire alarm, as elevators are not a means of egress and are reserved for fire department operations.
Question 6: In Phase II firefighter elevator service, the elevator doors will remain open at a floor unless:
- A remote command is sent from the fire command station lobby panel
- The firefighter inside the cab continuously holds the door close button (Correct answer)
- An automatic 30-second timer closes them to conserve elevator power
- The building engineer resets the elevator from the machine room
Correct answer: The firefighter inside the cab continuously holds the door close button
In Phase II mode, the firefighter must hold the door close button to keep elevator doors closed; releasing the button causes doors to reopen, ensuring the firefighter retains full manual control.
Question 7: An elevator that does not respond to Phase I recall activation should be:
- Manually overridden by the FLSD from the elevator lobby control panel
- Left in normal operation since Phase I is considered an advisory system
- Reported immediately to arriving fire department personnel as a malfunction (Correct answer)
- Shut down by cutting its power at the main electrical distribution panel
Correct answer: Reported immediately to arriving fire department personnel as a malfunction
A non-responding elevator poses a safety risk and must be reported to arriving firefighters so they have full situational awareness during their operations and occupant searches.
F89 Elevator Emergency Operations and Firefighter Service 1
What is the primary purpose of Phase I elevator recall during a fire emergency?