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Usage of Elevators for Occupant Evacuation Questionnaire 

Purpose

This questionnaire is being conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. 

The main focus of this research effort is to gain an understanding of how elevators are currently used by occupants of existing multi-story buildings in the United States during fire emergencies. This questionnaire will ask you to provide information on your building’s emergency plans and procedures, including how the buildings’ evacuation plans incorporate the use of the existing elevator system to evacuate occupants during fire emergencies, specifically individuals with disabilities, if at all.

Completing this questionnaire is voluntary; however, your assistance would be greatly appreciated to help improve the safety of the building occupants. 



SECTION 1:  Please answer the following questions about the building.

    1. Name of building:_________________________________________

    2. Location of building: City: _________________   State: ________

    3. What is the occupancy type of the building? Mark all that apply.
 Business           Residential         Assembly                         Health care
            Educational       Institutional        Detention/correctional      Mercantile 
            Industrial           Storage              High hazard
                   
    4. Total number of stories above street floor: _____ 

    5. Total number of stories below street floor: _____ 

    6. Location of highest occupied story in building: _____ 

    7. Location of lowest occupied story in building: _____ 

    8. How many people work/reside in the building on a normal day: _____ (please 
provide an approximate number here)

    9. Total number of exit stairways located in the building: ________

        a) Total number of exit stairways located above the street floor: ________

        b) Total number of exit stairways located below the street floor: ________

    10. Total number of elevators (of all types) located in the building: _________
Complete Table below for each elevator car located in the building:

Elevator Car Number(s)
(e.g., 1, 2, C, etc.)
Use of Elevator Cars
(e.g., passenger/public elevators, parking elevators, private elevators, freight elevator, service elevator, passenger/service elevator)
Type of Elevator Cars
(e.g., electric, hydraulic)
Capacity of Elevator Car (maximum number of people)


































    11. Can at least one elevator car in your building accommodate an ambulance 
stretcher? 
Yes   No    Don’t know

            a) If yes, please identify each elevator car that can accommodate an ambulance stretcher (e.g., 1, 2, C, etc.): ____________

    12. Is the building protected throughout by an automatic fire sprinkler system? 
Yes   No    Don’t know

    13. Are automatic fire sprinklers installed in each elevator machine room? 
	Yes   No    Don’t know

    14. Is there a fire alarm system, including notification appliances and a control panel, 
installed in the building? 
	Yes   No    Don’t know

    15. Does the building have an occupant evacuation plan (sometimes known as a fire safety plan, as a fire evacuation plan, or by another name)? 
	Yes   No    Don’t know

    16. Are elevators  used to evacuate building occupants during fire emergencies as part of the building’s occupant evacuation plan? 
Yes   No    Don’t know


If the answer to Question 17 is “Yes”, please answer the questions in Section 2



SECTION 2:  Please answer the following questions about your building’s occupant evacuation plan.

    17. Elevators are used to evacuate some or all occupants during which of the following types of fire evacuation procedures in the building? 

 Partial evacuation only 
 Full/complete evacuation only 
 Both partial evacuation and full/complete building evacuation

Definitions to assist with Question 18:
-Partial evacuation is defined here as a procedure where occupants on the floors most affected by the fire are evacuated by elevators or relocated by elevators to a safer floor in the building.
-Full/complete evacuation is defined here as a procedure where all occupants evacuate the building and traverse to a pre-determined location outside of the building.

    18. During a fire emergency, the occupant evacuation plan permits elevators to be used by the following individuals.? Please mark all that apply
 Any occupant in the building  
 Any occupant on the fire floor 
 Any occupant in the fire evacuation zone (for example, the fire floor, two floors 
above, and two floors below)
 Individuals with disabilities or mobility impairments only
 Others, please specify:__________________________________________ 

    19. What information is included in the occupant evacuation plan that determines which occupants are eligible to use the elevators during fire emergencies?
 This is not necessary, since anyone can use the elevators during fires
 The building’s fire safety staff designates a person as an elevator user before 
the fire occurs (during fire safety planning)
 The building’s fire safety staff designates a person as an elevator user during 
the fire emergency
 The floor’s fire safety staff (e.g., floor warden) designates a person as an 
elevator user before the fire occurs (during fire safety planning)
 The floor’s fire safety staff (e.g., floor warden) designates a person as an 
elevator user during the fire emergency
 The fire department designates a person as an elevator user before a fire 
occurs (during fire safety planning)
 The fire department designates a person as an elevator user during the fire 
emergency
 The occupant designates him/herself as an elevator user before a 
fire occurs (during fire safety planning)
 The occupant designates him/herself as an elevator user during the 
fire emergency
 Other, please specify:_____________________________________
    20. What types of elevators are used for evacuation during fire emergencies? Please mark all that apply.
 Freight    Passenger/public  Parking   Private   Service  
 Other, please describe: ___________________________________


[If the respondent filled out Question 11’s chart – redisplay the chart with all original information from the respondent with an added column for them to check – as shown here…]

Elevator Car Number(s)
(e.g., 1, 2, C, etc.)
Use of Elevator Cars
(e.g., passenger/public elevators, parking elevators, private elevators, freight elevator, service elevator, passenger/service elevator)
Type of Elevator Cars
(e.g., electric, hydraulic)
Capacity of Elevator Car (maximum number of people)
Please mark which elevator cars are used for evacuation










































    21. During a fire emergency, please describe the entire process that occupants should follow from the moment that the evacuation is initiated until the point when they reach safety. If these procedures vary by floor or by occupant type, please describe how.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

    22. Which individual(s) or building system(s) determines the elevators are no longer safe to use for evacuation? Please mark all that apply.
 Building manager   
 Building engineer 
 Building fire safety director
 Member of building’s fire safety team (e.g., floor warden)
 Fire department 
 Activation of smoke detection system 
 Activation of fire sprinkler system 
 Other, please specify: ________________________________________________ 


    23. Are the elevators used to evacuate individuals during fire emergencies on “normal elevator operating mode” (i.e., the same mode that is used prior to the emergency)?
	Yes   No Don’t know


    24. Are the elevators used to evacuate individuals during fire emergencies on Phase II recall?
	
In Phase II recall, the responding fire department uses the elevators under manual control by placing a firefighter in the elevator car or cars (operated with a special fire fighter key).

Yes   No Don’t know


    25. Do the elevator procedures specified by the building’s occupant evacuation plan include any of the following?

        a) Dedicated individuals (who are not fire fighters) operating elevators during evacuation? 
Yes   No Don’t know

If yes, who is responsible for this duty (elevator operation)?_______________________

Please describe the specific duties of these individuals? _________________________ 
(e.g., manually press the buttons or choose where the elevator stops)

What are the minimum training requirements for this job? ________________________ (if none, please note that)


        b) Dedicated individuals (who are not fire fighters) assigned to each elevator landing (also known as elevator lobby)?  
Yes   No Don’t know

If yes, who is responsible for this duty (lobby monitor)?_________________________

Please describe the specific duties of these individuals in the elevator landing or lobby? _________________________ (e.g., make sure the elevators are not full, etc.)

What are the minimum training requirements for this job? ________________________ (if none, please note that)


        c) Dedicated individuals (who are not firefighters) assigned to assist individuals with disabilities or mobility impairments to evacuate? 
Yes   No Don’t know

If yes, who is responsible for this duty (assistance of people with disabilities)? __________________________________________________________________

Please describe the specific duties of these individuals? _________________________ 
(e.g., guide evacuees to the elevators, etc.)

What are the minimum training requirements for this job? ________________________ (if none, please note that)


    26. Is an emergency two-way communication system provided within each elevator car to communicate between the elevator car and a manned location? 
Yes   No  Don’t know

    27. Is an emergency two-way communication system provided within each elevator landing (also known as the elevator lobby area) to communicate between the elevator landing and a manned location? 
Yes   No  Don’t know

a) If no, are two-way radios used by the floor wardens to communicate with a manned location?
 Yes   No  Don’t know


    28. Please provide additional comments on your building’s occupant evacuation plan and its relevance to elevator usage.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


If you would like to upload a section of your building’s occupant evacuation plan that describes elevator usage, please provide this information here. The text from the plan will only be used internally for analysis of elevator usage trends and none of the text will be linked to the building or will be quoted in final reports.


    29. Would you mind being contacted in the future about your building’s occupant evacuation plan? 
Yes   No


Respondent Information (optional): 

    30. What is your job title? _______________________________________


    31. Please describe your duties in planning for emergencies in your building. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    32. Please describe your duties in responding to emergencies in your building. 
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    33. Does your building conduct full building fire evacuation drills at least once per year? 
Yes   No  Don’t know

        a) If yes, how do occupants practice fire evacuation drills?
Evacuation via stairs only   
Evacuation via elevators only
Evacuation via both, depending upon the needs of the occupants
It depends, please specify how. ___________________________







NOTE: This questionnaire contains collection of information requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).  Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the PRA, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.  The estimated response time for this questionnaire is 15 minutes.  The response time includes the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.  Send comments regarding this estimate or any other aspects of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the length of this questionnaire, to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Attn., Erica Kuligowski, [email protected], 301-975-2309.