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April 2025
When a fire breaks out, the emergency services must be able to rely on the firefighting lifts working without any flaws. But in practice, there are considerable safety deficits in the operation of these lifts. The following points must be considered in practice when testing.
By Dirk Preißl
Various experiences are to be expected when testing firefighting lifts since this a demanding task (see box 2). Not only does the operator have to coordinate with several building trades and the testing body, the procedure also costs time and money and there are considerable consequences if the result is negative.
According to building law, the operator should commission the approved inspection bodies directly. Due to the complexity of the material, it has been shown to be advantageous, as provided for in VDI Guideline 3809 page 2, to have the test prepared by a recognised testing expert for construction supervision.
For example, discrepancies and potential manipulations can be detected before and during the test, which would have escaped an approved body inspector in the car – e.g. switching on the safety power supply by hand instead of automatically, only partial instead of total shutdown of the building or manual intervention in the fire alarm system instead of automatic triggering, etc.
The presence of specialised technical personnel familiar with the safety equipment outside the lift is advisable. This is because they can correct minor defects immediately, which could otherwise result in a negative test result. The additional effort is worthwhile … A failed test is expensive and in the worst case can even result in building use being prohibited.
Tests in care facilities such as hospitals are especially demanding. A concept should be prepared with the operators here regarding how failure of the lifts and above all of the power supply is handled. The shutdown of the power supply is always a huge topic, since it has major effects on the building. However, it cannot be avoided since this is the only way of simulating an actual grid blackout.
Restricted communication within the building during the test is often a challenge. Mobile telephones in the basement area and in the car usually do not work reliably and building radio systems for the firefighters can only be used with the equipment and personnel of the fire brigade. Other mobile communications equipment also comes up against its limits.
To realise the power failure during the lift trip and not while actually at the landing, reporting chains of the personnel involved make sense. If the section switch is in the basement, the reporting chain should also begin there in the lobby of the firefighting lift!
Testing the options for self- and third-party rescue is especially important. The fire brigade must be able to easily detect closures and how to operate them easily, such as the emergency flap of a suspended ceiling. The ascent to the shaft doors and the unlocking mechanism of the landing doors also has to be easy.
This is because when the fully-equipped firefighters are standing on a ladder, activating the landing door locking mechanism and simultaneously trying to push open the door leaves, this resembles something you might see in a circus. Pull-ropes are a tried-and-tested way of remote door unlocking, as used in the shaft pit area. This usually facilitates opening the landing door without a ladder.
The final test of the practical utility of the measures taken for self- and third-party rescue must be performed by representatives of the responsible fire brigade – especially in the test before the initial start-up.
Drawing up a schedule in advance has proved to be valuable, since this minimises the distance covered and switching processes. Freely-configurable templates for this purpose are part of VDI 3908 page 2 in accordance with the status of standardisation at the time the lift was distributed (TRA 200, DIN EN 81-72).
Once created, this tool provides a reproducible result and the basis for recurrent testing according to the Act on Installations in need of Require Monitoring (ÜAnIG - see box), especially since almost every firefighting lift in a building with the connected lift-external safety equipment and official requirements constitutes a unique installation!
Dealing with negative test results is a special challenge if no official representative (normally from the fire brigade) or recognised construction supervision expert is on the spot. According to the ÜAnIG and Operational Safety Ordinance, the approved inspection body expert is obliged to report the defect to the authority responsible for occupational safety. Unfortunately, this message is not always passed on immediately to the locally responsible emergency service (fire brigade) or to the building code authority responsible for the building. As a result, time passes during which users and emergency services personnel could be endangered.
The person conducting the test must inform the operator immediately of the negative test result and notify it of its obligation to inform the local authorities immediately and directly. But if only a representative of the operator (facility management service provider) is on the spot, it is open to question whether the former will actually inform the operator.
A more reliable option is having representatives of the authorities, such as the fire brigade or recognised construction supervision expert present at the test, since they can react to this directly or may even be obliged to inform the locally responsible authority directly. The latter can then order remedial measures immediately or prohibit use of the building.
The qualified engineer is a retired fire counsellor, expert for fire prevention and for behaviour in lifts in the event of fire.
Box 1: The testing of firefighting lifts, including the lift-external installations was included in the Operational Safety Ordinance in 2015. However, this did not result in comprehensive recurrent testing of these systems. The fundamental testing obligation for installations was then revised in July 2021 by the Act on Installations in need of Monitoring (ÜAnlG).
A catalogue of requirements for the testing of firefighting lifts was issued for the first time by the legislature with the publication of TRBS 1201 Part 4 Annex 3 in 2022. Unfortunately, it does not include any detailed testing catalogue.
Due to the lack of these testing guidelines, the VDI Guideline 3809 page 2 "Testing of building technology systems – firefighting lifts" of October 2014 continued to be used up to this time. This guideline is currently being revised as a result of which the still valid guideline remains the preferred option for practical implementation of the testing requirements.
Box 2: Testing effort: What makes testing firefighting lifts so onerous for the operator?
- It has to ensure that the key for the fire brigade key switch is accessible if it is kept in the building.
- If a firefighting operating panel key is used, someone has to collect it from the locally responsible fire brigade.
- Regular testing can only occur at times when the building is not in use or only to a limited extent (e.g. hospitals).
- During the test, other lifts in the building are also switched off.
- The general power supply is switched off too – which of course has considerable consequences for the building technology.
- The compressed air system (dirt, noise and pressure – the last-mentioned affects the door functions) is activated during the test.
- Communication of those involved in the test in the building is frequently restricted.
Digitalpaper
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