Firefighting Lifts in Ireland
Mandatory Heights, Floor Areas, and Testing Rules
Firefighting Lifts:
Irish Building Regulations for Fire Safety
Within the Part B document, the requirements for a building to have at least one Firefighting Lift are detailed.
- Travel height of lift above Ground floor at 20 metres or more.
- Travel height of lift below Ground floor at 10 metres or more
- Number of Fire Fighting Lifts dependant of the floor area of floors above the 20m level. If a floor above 20m exceeds 900sqm, a minimum of 2 Fire Fighting Lifts is required
Operational Requirements
The requirement for a Fire Fighting Lift to remain fully operational for the entire life of the lift is mandatory. A lift can be many years old but the necessary Fire Fighting operation that was in place at the date of the lift being placed into operation MUST remain fully operational.
Checks on the operation should be performed by the ‘Competent Person’ who is responsible to ensure full operation and if there is an issue this should be immediately notified to correction.
Basic operation of a Fire Fighting Lift
- Lift Returned at FSAL after building Fire Alarm operated and parks with doors open.
- Fire Fighter using key places lift into Fire Fighter Mode. Rotate from 0 to 1, Intercom between car and FSAL landing intercom is now active.
- Fire Fighter enters car and presses floor call possibly with constant press.
- Lift arrives at floor and doors do not open.
- Press door open button. Release button during opening and doors will close.
- Press door open button. Hold button until opening complete and doors will remain open.
Depending on the age (standard applicable) of the lift there will be a Rescue of Fire Fighter within the car procedure or there will be a Fire Fighter Self Rescue procedure, the Self Rescue procedure in place since Mid 2004 within the EN81-72 standard.
The lift Fire Fighting functioning correctly and all aspects of the rescue or self rescue procedures must be in place and operational.
With the Thorough Examinations (Statutory Inspections as required by the Safety, Health & Welfare at Work (General Applications) Regulations 2007) now seeking confirmation of operation on the issued ‘reports.
The confirmation is to by the completion of a Supplementary Test A25 report to the Thorough Examiner.
Conclusion:
The Fire Fighting lift(s) is(are) required to be installed according to Part B of the Irish Building Regulations. Number of Fire Fighting Lifts with building determined by the Building Design.
Fire Fighting Lifts to comply to the standard in place at time of handover of lift into service for the ENTIRE LIFE of the lift.
Pre Mid 2004, BS5588 Part 5 is the standard used.
From Mid 2004 the standard EN81-72 in place, major upgrade from previous standard.
Various iterations of EN81-72 2003, 2015 & 2020 to be considered.
Operational checks to occur yearly (at the latest) by a ‘Competent Person’ to confirm full operation to the standard applicable. Ensure that the ‘Competent Person’ have specifically included the Fire Fighting check as a separate reportable task from the General Service contract.
Thorough Examiners are seeking confirmation of ‘Full Operation’ of a Fire Fighting lift in the ‘Insurance Report’ with ONUS of responsibility being given to the OWNER / MANAGER of the lift to ensure compliance. Confirmation on A25 Supplementary Test using a guidance document BS8899 Annex D as a template being accepted by the Thorough Examiner.
Fire Fighting Operation is area of lifts that has been neglected for confirmation of operation with lifts that are meant to be compliant and operational as a Fire Fighting Lift (to the standard applicable at time of handover) and be fully operational with zero non compliances. Fire Fighting Lifts must be ensured as operational for the LIFE of the Lift.
Is Your Firefighting Lift Compliant? Understanding EN81-72 and BS5588 Standards
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