Elevators During Fire

Every year, building fires trap people who mistakenly step into elevators expecting a quick escape. Understanding how elevators behave during a fire — and what safety systems exist — can save lives.

Able-bodied occupants should always use stairs or emergency exits during a fire. These exits resist fire for several hours and remain sealed from the building by fire-resistant doors. However, disabled or mobility-impaired individuals cannot always reach stairwells. Special elevator solutions now address this gap.

Elevators pose serious risks during a fire because many failure points can halt the car mid-travel. A single burned cable to a hall call button can trigger multiple false calls. A short circuit in the communication wiring can send error signals that force a stop. Elevators are engineered to halt whenever they detect a fault. This fail-safe logic works well under normal conditions — but becomes dangerous during a fire.

To counter these risks, buildings deploy five key precautions that protect passengers and support fire department operations:

• Pressurization of the Elevator Shaft
• Elevator Shaft Walls with Fire Rating
• Fire Rated Doors for Elevators
• Fireman's Elevator
• Fire Evacuation Elevator

Let's examine each system and how it contributes to fire safety.

Pressurization of the Elevator Shaft

Most professionally designed buildings pressurize elevator shafts using fresh outside air. This creates positive pressure inside the shaft relative to the lift lobby. In many designs, the lobby itself is also pressurized. Together, these zones block smoke from entering and ensure continuous fresh air supply.

Pressurization systems connect to backup power and redundant fan sources. If the primary fan fails, a failover system switches to an alternate source automatically. Many building codes mandate shaft pressurization as a requirement.

Beyond smoke control, pressurization supports a survivable environment for anyone inside the elevator during the critical evacuation window.

Elevator Shaft with Fire Rating

The elevator shaft forms a protective enclosure around the entire elevator system. Almost no wiring exits the shaft except into the machine room. This encapsulation shields the elevator from heat, dust, and flames.

Shafts are typically built from concrete, brick, or steel for structural support. Building codes in many regions require shaft materials to provide a fire resistance of two hours or more, depending on the country. This rated protection gives passengers enough time to travel to a safe floor and exit the car.

A fire-rated shaft alone isn't enough, though. The openings — especially landing doors — require their own protection.

Fire Rated Doors for Elevator

Landing doors represent the weakest point in an otherwise fire-resistant shaft. Fire-rated doors seal this vulnerability and complete the elevator's protective envelope.

These doors typically carry a 1-hour or 2-hour fire rating. Landing doors on each floor are fire-rated. Car doors may use similar materials and design but do not carry a formal fire rating. The door panels or leaves are engineered to prevent smoke from entering the shaft.

With shaft walls and doors both rated, the elevator becomes a contained unit — setting the stage for specialized fire-mode operations.

Fireman's Elevator / Fire Lift

Fire lifts incorporate features and components that prevent fire from entering the shaft. They also move passengers to a designated floor when the fire signal activates.

These lifts use fire-rated doors and lobby-mounted fire switches. When a fire switch activates, the system cancels all floor calls and sends the elevator to a preprogrammed evacuation floor — typically a refuge floor or the main lobby. Passengers can then exit safely or be rescued by the fire department. On arrival, the lift opens its doors and holds them open. The elevator is now out of normal service.

At this point, fire department personnel can activate the fireman's lift feature. Using a special key in the car operating panel, they gain exclusive control. The lift ignores all hall button calls and responds only to commands from the car panel.

When a fireman selects a floor, the elevator travels there but does not open its doors — this prevents fire and smoke from entering. The fireman opens doors manually by pressing the door-open button on the car panel. This controlled operation allows safe floor-by-floor evacuation during a fire.

Fire Evacuation Elevator

A fire evacuation elevator functions like a fireman's elevator but is purpose-built for evacuating occupants during a fire. Trained fire department personnel operate it.

These lifts appear primarily in high-rises and skyscrapers. They are isolated from other building areas by a fire-resistant lobby door, shaft pressurization, fire-retardant low-smoke cables, and a separate power supply. They typically open into a lobby equipped with fire exit stairs.

Each fire evacuation lift includes a car-top hatch and a collapsible ladder. These provide an emergency escape route from the car roof if the elevator becomes stuck.

Conclusion

Stairs remain the safest exit route during a building fire. For disabled occupants or those in high-rise towers, fire evacuation lifts provide a reliable alternative when operated by trained personnel.

We strongly recommend installing fire-rated doors on all elevators — even where codes do not mandate them. The added protection costs little compared to the lives it can save.

Whether you are designing a new building or upgrading an existing one, integrating shaft pressurization, fire-rated enclosures, and fireman's lift features transforms your elevator from a fire hazard into a life-saving asset.