The CIBSE Lifts Group (CLG) was delighted to welcome an audience of nearly 150 people to its 2022 Annual Seminar held online on 2 February 2022.
The theme for the event was firefighters and evacuation lifts and their use in the context of broader Fire Engineering strategies, codes and standards, and the new London Plan. Farrokh Azad (Sweco UK Fire Engineering) spoke first and enlightened the audience with a glimpse into the world of the Fire Engineer covering the strategies, legislation and guidance employed to ensure buildings are safe for all.
This was followed by a talk from Nick Mellor (Lift & Escalator Industry Association) who spoke as eloquently as ever on the ever-changing world of codes and standards and how they apply especially to firefighters, lifts and evacuation lifts. Precision was a theme of Nick’s, highlighting the important difference between different vintages of “fire” lift and the need to select descriptors carefully when dealing with lifts for the use of the Fire Service. After a short break, the final speaker was Adam Scott (Sweco UK Vertical Transportation) who updated the attendees on the important London Plan and some of the challenges it presents to the lift industry.
A clear message from Adam’s talk was the need for the lift industry to support the GLA with the final drafting of some of the draft guidance associated with implementing the London Plan.
Seminar Chair: Dr Gina Barney
The importance of firefighters and evacuation lifts within the broader Fire Strategy for a building
Farrokh Azad, Associate Director - Operations Manager Fire, Sweco
This session will discuss the part firefighters, lifts and evacuation lifts play in the development of a Fire Strategy for a building. It will outline the methodology behind determining how many firefighters lifts are required, and where they need to be located. It will touch on the latest thinking around evacuation lifts and the role they need to serve.
Update on Firefighters and Evacuation Lifts
Nick Mellor, MD of LEIA
The relationship between BS EN81-72: 2015 and BS EN 81-72:2020, why calls to modernise lifts to be “firefighting lifts” is erroneous and BS 8899 on modernisation on lifts for fire service. Identification of different types of lifts for fire service use.
The speaker will present evacuation lifts as an ever-changing topic. BS 9999, Annex G as the only description of an evacuation lift in British Standards. A resume of the different areas of work looking at means of escape for disabled people and evacuation lifts will follow.
The London Plan 2021 and its implications for lift system design
Adam Scott, CLG Chair and Technical Director - Vertical Transportation, Sweco
March 2021 saw the publication of the new London Plan. This document is a Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London and set out a framework for how London will develop over the next 20-25 years. The Plan is part of the statutory development plan for London, meaning that the policies in the Plan should inform decisions on planning applications. The Plan has implications for the provision of both firefighters and evacuation lifts in buildings, however, guidance on how to meet these requirements remains in draft format currently and is not particularly clear. This session explores the requirements of the plan and sets the scene for later sessions on engagement and lobbying from the lift industry bodies seeking clarity on the guidance.