ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses a number of elevator fire safety requirements and standards and explains some of the reasoning behind provisions adopted in New York City and the basis for their deviation from American Society of Mechanical Engineer/ American National Standards Institute standards. It highlights two areas within the above documents as they relate to elevator use during fires and other emergencies. The chapter illustrates the need to develop a technologically improved elevator based upon an analysis of New York City fire experience and an evolving national trend toward using elevators for evacuation of occupants with mobility impairments and other disabilities. Cross-zoning is limited to buildings that have a fire command station with a professional fire safety director who will be able to quickly investigate the activation of that first smoke detector. The term “firemans service” is sometimes called “firefighters service” in keeping with the idea of gender neutrality.
