FIRE SAFETY | EVACUATION LIFTS The traditional solutions for vertical evacuation need to be reconsidered Increased prescriptive guidance relating to evacuation lift provision: For most building types, there is a lack of prescriptive guidance relating to evacuation lifts (for example, when to provide them, how many, how to protect the lifts). As a result, there is a temptation to focus on achieving minimum standards compliance, and the clear benefits of providing evacuation lifts may not be fully considered. There is a need to shift the outlook on evacuation lift provision from nice to have to should we have? Increased awareness of the implications of not providing an evacuation lift: Lifts are often seen as a significant tool in the improvement of accessibility in buildings. Similarly, evacuation lifts could be promoted as integral to ensuring safe egress for all. Without an evacuation lift, evacuation of people from refuge areas to a place of ultimate safety will rely upon a building management team response such as manual carry-down. This can be difficult, and may present challenges for the Responsible Person discharging their duties under the FSO and as part of the future safety cases to be required by the forthcoming Building Safety Bill [2]. Proactive consideration of retrofitting for existing buildings: A culture change is needed, away from the common make things no worse approach to identifying what safety enhancements can be made. In particular, in a refurbishment, the additional works required to provide functionality for use in fire can be costeffective and should be encouraged. Providing protection to the lift spaces and lobbies, and providing secondary power supplies, can present challenges, but can be overcome. User familiarity, and the psychology relating to using lifts during a fire: Staff must have familiarity with lifts to be used in the event of fire. Occupants also need to know which lifts can be used, how they may operate, and what level of staff assistance will be provided, if any. Human psychology, behaviours and perceptions relating to the use of lifts must also be considered. In some buildings, the provision of relevant information, training, and pre-event There is a need for a multidisciplinary approach, to develop practical interventions to increase the use of lifts for evacuation planning could be suitable. For occupants who do not need to use a lift for evacuation, additional information may be necessary to encourage them to continue to use the stairs, in order to avoid overloading the lift(s). Learning from existing lift evacuation strategies: A number of existing buildings (in the UK and globally) use lifts as part of their evacuation procedures. Valuable lessons in terms of building management could be learned from these. The way forward This article discusses the importance of lift evacuation to help overcome the current shortcomings in inclusive fire safety in existing UK building stock, and which still proliferate in current design practices. The article identifies a number of challenges that will need to be addressed. There is a need for a multidisciplinary approach to the subject, to develop practical interventions to increase and improve the use of lifts for evacuation. Opportunities are also emerging to embed the increased use of lifts for evacuation within the UK regulatory framework and guidance/design standards. The authors wish to stimulate debate among those involved in the fields of building design, fire safety, accessibility, and lifts, to help bring about the step-change required in regulations, standards and practices relating to inclusive design for fire safety. CJ EOIN OLOUGHLIN HARRY WILES MATTHEW RYAN Acknowledgements References: 1 Building a Safer Future - Independent Review of Building MHCLG, 2018. 2 Draft Building Safety Bill, MHCLG, 2020. 3 MHCLG, 2021. 7 bit.ly/CJJul21Lift1 bit.ly/CJJul21Lift2 42 July 2021 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE July 21 pp40-42 Evacuation lift.indd 42 25/06/2021 16:44