Latest Evacuation Lift Requirements For Fire Safety in Residential Buildings: BS9991:2024
The guidelines for assisted building evacuation underwent significant changes in December 2024, marking one of the most substantial updates in recent years. Previously, evacuation lifts were addressed in the BS9999:2008 Code of Practice for the Design, Management, and Use of Buildings. A new standard for evacuation lifts, BS EN 81-76, has been in development for several years and is expected to be officially published soon. We are hopeful that it will be released shortly. Here at iKONIC Lifts we already follow the latest guidelines.
The latest British Standard BS9991:2024 updates the previous standard BS9999:2008 and outlines fire safety requirements for residential buildings. This article provides an overview of the key changes and updates, focusing on evacuation lifts and the most relevant points. iKONIC Lifts strongly encourage anyone working in fire safety, including firefighters and those involved with evacuation lifts, to obtain a copy of the standard and study it thoroughly. While this article offers an insight into the requirements for evacuation lifts, it should not substitute for a comprehensive understanding of the standard.
Key Changes in BS9991 For Evacuation Lifts
Before the publication of BS9991, evacuation lifts were never required by guidance for compliance with Building Regulations in any building in the UK; their installation was always a design choice. This new document represents a significant change, as evacuation lifts are now considered essential for life safety in certain circumstances.
Key Points Include:
> Covers fire safety design, management, and use of various residential buildings, including houses, flats, student accommodation, and care homes.
> Applies to buildings up to 100m travel with specific fire-resistant materials or up to 11m travel with less stringent requirements.
> Excludes Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), hotels, and certain other building types.
Please Note:
The significant updates and changes outlined in BS9991:2024 are just part of the bigger picture. A new standard, EN81-76, is set to be published in 2025, which will provide even more detailed design requirements for evacuation lifts. BS9991 indicates that this new standard for evacuation lifts is currently in development and anticipates that its more comprehensive requirements will be adopted by users of BS9991 upon publication.
Here are some answers to the questions we have received:
When is an Evacuation Lift Required in a Residential Building?
According to BS9991:2024, the following criteria determine when evacuation lifts are necessary in residential buildings:
Evacuation Lift Requirement: Buildings equipped with passenger lifts must also have a means of using those lifts for evacuation purposes, known as evacuation lifts.
Quantity of Evacuation Lifts: At least one evacuation lift should be provided for each escape stairway. Additional lifts may be required if there is a large number of people on a floor who may need to use a lift to evacuate.
High-Rise Buildings: For buildings with floors above 50 meters in height that implement a stay-put strategy, every lift should be designed as a firefighter’s lift and must also function as an evacuation lift.
Access and Escape: Buildings that have lifts for access should also provide a means of using those lifts for escape. This means that the lifts can be dual-purpose (serving both access and escape) or consist of separate lifts designated solely for access or escape.
Standards for Evacuation Lifts: Any lift designated for building evacuation must be classified as an evacuation lift. A minimum of one evacuation lift is required for each escape stair. If escape stairs are located separately, an evacuation lift should be provided at each stair location rather than placing a single lift in one central location.
Lift Specifications: The standard specifies that an evacuation lift must comply with EN 81–20 and have a speed greater than 0.15 m/s. This eliminates the possibility of using a platform lift or similar device, which is limited to a speed of 0.15 m/s, as an evacuation lift.
By following these guidelines, residential buildings can ensure proper evacuation procedures in emergency situations.
What is a stay put policy or strategy?
A stay-put policy, also known as a stay-put strategy, is a fire safety measure implemented in high-rise buildings. In the event of a fire, residents are advised to remain in their apartments unless the fire directly impacts their unit. This approach is based on the assumption that the building’s fire safety features, such as fire-resistant walls and doors, will contain the fire to its source.
Are there new evacuation lift classifications?
Whilst not fully covered in BS9991:2024, mention is made that when EN81-76 is published, it will contain two classifications of evacuation lift:
Class B = full specification with all features and provisions
Class A = where secondary power is not available
Mention is also made of a Class B evacuation lift being physically larger: have a larger capacity than a class A evacuation lift, although this is not further expanded upon in the standard.
Evacuation lifts requirements have changed!
> The minimum dimensions of an evacuation lift should be 1400mm deep by 1100mm wide with a 900mm door opening width.
> Lift landing doors need to be fire doors (and it is noted that is generally not feasible to provide smoke sealed lift landing doors).
> Lift landing doors do not need to be physically marked or labelled as fire doors, unlike all other fire doors.
> Means to prevent water penetration into the lift shaft (as firefighters lifts) where the lift is located close to a firefighting main outlet.
> Clear signage at the evacuation exit floor.
Evacuation lift secondary power supply requirements.
The evacuation lift, emergency communications system, and both lift and lobby lighting require primary and secondary power supplies:
> Buildings less than 18m travel can use a fire protected diverse routed secondary supply from the main incoming electrical supply.
> Buildings over 18m require a secondary independent power supply, from a different substation to the primary, or ups system.
Building design requirements related to evacuation lifts.
The general building design and construction includes requirements for evacuation lifts, which fall outside the provisions offered by lift suppliers. This necessitates a coordinated approach among all participants in the building design process.
The main building design requirements related to evacuation lifts are:
> The evacuation lift shaft and lift lobbies should be constructed as a protected shaft, meaning they have minimum levels of fire resistance and ventilation.
> Lift wells should be enclosed with fire resisting materials throughout their height unless they are within a protected stair.
> Lift machinery spaces need to be protected in the same way as the lift shaft
> A visually contrasting floor surface of at least 1500x1500mm should be provided outside of the evacuation lift.
> Evacuation lift lobbies should be provided with an emergency voice communication system according to BS5839-9 as well as a separate evacuation lift communication system which supports the lift evacuation process.
> Access to the evacuation lift should be step free and include an evacuation temporary waiting area of minimum size 1500 x 2100mm which is within or connected to an evacuation stair.
> The evacuation waiting area should be provided with some means of ventilation to minimise exposure of waiting evacuees to smoke and heat and prevent further ingress of smoke into the area. This means more smoke ventilation shafts needed in residential buildings.
> In buildings designed with a stay put policy, any firefighters lift can also be an evacuation lift. However, where a building’s evacuation strategy is not stay put, then firefighters and evacuation lifts must be separate from one another.
Regular maintenance and inspection of evacuation and firefighters lifts
Evacuation lifts and firefighter lifts should be regularly maintained and tested to ensure they are functioning correctly.
> Weekly tests of firefighters, evacuation lift recall switches, and any fire alarm recall features connected to lifts.
> Notification to the fire service if a fault to the lift cannot be rectified within 24 hours.
> Failure of the primary power supply should be simulated once a month, and where a generator provides the standby power, it must energise the lift for at least 60 minutes.
> Firefighting and evacuation lifts should be inspected and tested every 6 months by a competent person.
> Annual performance tests should be carried out
iKONIC Lifts are a UK Lift Specialist.
Lift design, consultation, supply and installation.
Specialist in low headroom and pits, firefighter and evacuation lifts.
Here at iKONIC we offer complete support for all your vertical transportation requirements. Including consultancy, design, installation and testing all for one price from one partner. With our experience and extensive product range endorsed by our accreditations why use multiple companies.
