- Author
-
Peacock, R. D.
- Title
- Summary of NIST/GSA Cooperative Research on the Use of Elevators During Fire Emergencies.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
-
NIST TN 1620; NIST Technical Note 1620,
January 2009,
349 p.
- Keywords
-
elevators (lifts)
|
emergencies
|
egress
|
high rise buildings
|
evacuation
|
occupants
|
fire departments
|
fire hazards
|
smoke
|
building codes
|
handicapped
|
regulations
|
building design
|
stairways
|
human behavior
|
stairwells
|
hoistways
|
NFPA 101
|
NFPA 5000
- Identifiers
- protected elevators for egress and access during fires in tall buildings; overview of elevator use for emergency evacuation; elevators for occupant evacuation and fire department access; design of occupant egress systems for tall buildings; hazards due to smoke migration through elevators shafts; tenability calculations; basis for egress provision in U.S. building codes; need to enclose elevator lobbies in tall buildings; protected elevators and the disabled; elevator controls; emergency egress strategies for buildings; history and current regulations for egress systems design; Required Safe Egress Time (RSET); Available Safe Egress Time (ASET)
- Abstract
- Historically, building egress systems have evolved in response to specific large loss incidents. Currently, systems are designed around an antiquated concept of providing stair capacity for the largest occupant load floor in the building with little or no consideration of occupant behavior, needs of emergency responders, or evolving technologies. Aggressive building designs, changing occupant demographics, and consumer demand for more efficient systems have forced egress designs beyond the traditional stairwell-based approaches, with little technical foundation for performance and economic trade-offs. Underlying any building system designed to provide occupant protection in the event of a fire emergency is the need to provide a sufficiently safe environment for a period of time long enough to allow the occupants to take appropriate protective action. Passive and active fire protection systems in buildings such as compartmentation, structural integrity design, sprinklers, or construction and furnishing materials controls limit the extent of fire growth and spread to provide greater times for occupant actions (typically referred to as the available safe egress time or ASET). Conversely, egress system capacity, the use of protected areas of refuge, occupant training, emergency planning efforts, and understand occupant behavior in the event of an emergency can all aid to a reduction in the time necessary for occupants to reach a point of safety (typically referred to as the required safe egress time or RSET). The NIST/GSA program focuses on optimizing RSET. This report addresses one aspect that has the potential to significantly impact the RSET, the use of elevators during fire emergencies. Summaries are included of NIST research conducted as part of a cooperative effort funded in part by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). This research has formed the technical basis for significant revisions to building code provisions that consider the impact of all aspects building design including the use of elevators by occupants and first responders, appropriate design of stairwells, the use of refuge areas, and other active and passive fire protection measures that may be included in a building design. The papers included in this report describe the history and scientific underpinnings of current egress requirements in model codes.