CONTROL OF ELEVATOR OPERATIONS
Many people were trapped in elevators when primary and secondary power was lost. World Trade Center staff stated that 45 occupied elevator cars were stuck, many in blind shafts. The damage to the WTC Command Center made it impossible to communicate with most of the stalled elevator cars, and the sheer size of the removal operation was initially overwhelming.
Three agencies were involved in the removal operation—the fire department, Port Authority Police, and the city police department. Elevator maintenance personnel (who had offices in the WTC complex) played an important role in this removal process. Coordination of these operations proved difficult because it was difficult to determine the location of the elevators in the shafts. It took more than 11 hours to free the last trapped occupants.
It is unlikely that most incident commanders w ill be confronted with extrication problems of this size — each tower had more than 99 elevators—but a significant high-rise fire may require actions including the following:
- Designate a sector elevator control officer and assign fire department personnel as needed. This officer will coordinate and supervise the extrication operations. When multiple agencies are involved, the fire department should maintain control by requesting radio-equipped agency representatives to work with the elevator control officer.
- Enlist the assistance of building engineers, elevator personnel, or maintenance personnel to determine the number of elevators and location status.
- Elevator cars stalled in blind shafts are difficult to locate without the help of the elevator control panel. Power loss will render most identification systems inoperable. A backup battery-powered car identification system should be implemented.
- Work with officials of exempt government buildings to design fire protection systems that comply with local codes. The blind shafts in the WTC extended 78 stories. Firefighters had to open the shaft every five floors to locate a car—it was impossible to see more than six floors into the blackness. Some local building codes require openings into blind elevator shafts at three-floor intervals; this feature was not provided in the case of the WTC.
- Elevator car extrication must be strictly controlled. Coordination and communication with building personnel are essential. Unanticipated emergency power restoration can result in severe injuries to rescuers and passengers. Building elevator personnel should be taken to each elevator machine room by fire department personnel. Once there, circuit breakers supplying power to the affected car should be opened to protect both the car occupants and rescue personnel.
Brake releases for the elevators also are located in the machine rooms. If power is cut off and elevators are stuck, the brake is manually released. Then, if the load in the elevator is more than 5,000 pounds, the car will slowly drift down to the bottom. If the load is less, the car will drift up.
