F89 Elevator Emergency Operations and Firefighter Service 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: ASME A17.1, the Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, requires fire service recall for:
- Only freight elevators in buildings exceeding 20 stories
- All passenger elevators installed in buildings with three or more stories (Correct answer)
- Elevators in high-rise buildings only, as defined by local fire codes
- Only elevators installed after 2010 in new construction
Correct answer: All passenger elevators installed in buildings with three or more stories
ASME A17.1 requires Phase I and Phase II fire service recall for all passenger elevators in buildings with three or more stories, establishing a nationwide baseline for elevator fire safety.
Question 2: If smoke is detected in an elevator machine room, the expected outcome is:
- Only a local alarm sounds with no effect on elevator operation
- Phase I recall is triggered for the elevators served by that machine room (Correct answer)
- All elevators in the building simultaneously travel to the top floor
- The machine room sprinkler activates and all elevator power is cut
Correct answer: Phase I recall is triggered for the elevators served by that machine room
A smoke detector in the machine room triggers Phase I recall for the elevators controlled by that room, as fire in the machine room directly threatens those elevators' safe operation.
Question 3: What is an 'alternate recall floor' in elevator emergency operations?
- A pre-designated floor where elevators divert when smoke is detected at the primary recall floor (Correct answer)
- A floor reserved exclusively for firefighter command and staging operations
- The floor directly above the fire floor used as a temporary transfer lobby
- Any floor chosen by the FLSD in real time based on fire conditions
Correct answer: A pre-designated floor where elevators divert when smoke is detected at the primary recall floor
The alternate recall floor is a pre-programmed secondary destination built into the elevator system for use when the primary recall floor is unsafe due to smoke or fire conditions.
Question 4: When fire department personnel arrive at a high-rise fire, the FLSD should:
- Transfer full authority to the fire department and evacuate the fire command station
- Report to the fire command station and provide the incident commander with building and elevator status (Correct answer)
- Continue independent fire management until the fire department formally assumes command
- Begin Phase II elevator operations autonomously to speed firefighter access
Correct answer: Report to the fire command station and provide the incident commander with building and elevator status
The FLSD must report to the fire command station and immediately brief arriving fire department personnel on building layout, elevator status, and evacuation progress to support the incident command.
Question 5: Which elevator status information should an FLSD be ready to provide arriving firefighters?
- Monthly maintenance costs and the contractor's emergency contact number
- Last passenger weight recorded and cab capacity of each elevator
- Which elevators have recalled, are available for Phase II use, or are malfunctioning (Correct answer)
- Manufacturer service schedules and the date of the most recent inspection certificate
Correct answer: Which elevators have recalled, are available for Phase II use, or are malfunctioning
Firefighters need immediate operational status of all elevators — which responded to recall, which are available for their use, and which have known malfunctions — to plan their attack and search operations.
Question 6: The fire command station (FCS) in a high-rise building enables the FLSD to:
- Directly adjust elevator motor speed from a lobby control panel
- Monitor elevator positions and system status indicators for all building elevators (Correct answer)
- Remotely lock or unlock individual elevator doors on any floor
- Receive real-time load capacity readings and weight data for each elevator
Correct answer: Monitor elevator positions and system status indicators for all building elevators
The FCS provides elevator status monitoring capabilities, including position indicators showing where each elevator is located, enabling the FLSD to report accurate information to responding firefighters.
Question 7: Under NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code, elevators are classified as:
- A supplemental means of egress permitted during partial or floor-by-floor evacuations
- Not a means of egress for building occupants during fire emergencies (Correct answer)
- An acceptable means of egress when supervised by trained building staff
- A primary means of egress in high-rise buildings over 55 feet
Correct answer: Not a means of egress for building occupants during fire emergencies
NFPA 101 explicitly classifies elevators as not a means of egress; stairwells are the designated emergency egress paths, and elevators are reserved for fire department use during fires.
F89 Elevator Emergency Operations and Firefighter Service 2
ASME A17.1, the Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, requires fire service recall for: