Regulation for lifts – fire recall systems has been updated

VDI 6017 (Lifts – fire recall systems) has been revised and was published in October 2024. The chair of the Regulation Committee, Dirk Preißl, has summarised the most important changes.

The revised regulation is intended to provide planners, erectors, operators, safety organisations and the responsible authorities with assistance in guaranteeing public safety. As before, this is achieved by equipping lifts with a controller that in the event of fire automatically conducts the lift out of the hazard area and recalls it to its emergency landing.

Passengers can leave the lift at this emergency or fire landing to escape from the building or a building section in the event of fire - normally via a safe exit to the outside. In addition, the revised VDI 6017 indicates which fire events are not critical for the building use and under what conditions lifts can still continue to be used despite an initial fire alarm in the building.

Regulation adjusted to the new statutory framework

The regulation has been adjusted to the new statutory framework, such as the Machine Directive and TRBS 1201-4 (Testing of equipment subject to monitoring – testing of lifts). Moreover, it makes provision for static fire control with only one emergency landing and expanded static or partially dynamic fire control with an alternative landing.

This alternative landing is taken when smoke is detected at the emergency landing. Dynamic fire control was rejected as the standard version in the revised VDI 6017 due to its complexity and the lack of implementation.

Extension of operating times in the event of fire

The extension of operating times in the event of fire continues to be a main focus of the regulation. Implementation of this operating time extension means people who are not in danger but are still in the building can be moved to safety with the lifts. Consequently, in such fire events, the lifts can continue to be operated quite normally without intervening in the operating mode.

This is in contrast to the active launch of a new operating mode (e.g. fire brigade operation according to the relevant standards or active interventions in the lift control without reference to regulatory standards), for which the operator (employer) of the lift is also responsible.

The conditions for, and limits to, continued operation are pointed out in VDI 6017 and advice provided for planning, execution and operation. Due to practical experience, a requirement was added for operators to draw up and implement a backup plan to consider the effects of a planned and unplanned disabling of the fire alarm system.

Test requirements from standard adopted

In supplement to the provisions on testing by experts according to the statutory regulations, the test requirements from DIN EN 81-73 on behaviour in the event of fire were adopted.

These must be arranged by those responsible for the building – these include:
• actuation of the recall device,
• supervision of the max. door opening speed of 20 s at the destination landing,
• reaction to external and internal calls and
• reaction to fire alarm signals.

Even if no requirements are to be found in DIN EN 81-73 on test intervals, this was the intention of those establishing the standard in order to bridge the test-free period between expert inspections to ensure errors in the entire lift-building system are detected as early as possible. This in particular also applies to the aspect that regular maintenance or interventions occur in the field of the fire alarm technology of the building, which could affect the behaviour of the lifts in the event of fire.

The qualified engineer is a retired fire counsellor, expert for fire prevention and for behaviour in lifts in the event of fire.

More information: vdi.de

VDI 6017 can be ordered subject to charge from Beuth Verlag:
https://www.vdi.de/richtlinien/details/vdi-6017-aufzuege-steuerungen-fuer-den-brandfall