Elevator Requirements - Florida

[phamENG]

This is a purely personal post - hopefully nobody minds.

For those of you practicing in Florida, do you happen to know or know where to find requirements for elevator operations in tall buildings in Florida? I just spoke to my grandmother as Elsa is about to hit her assisted living facility on the Gulf Coast, and she mentioned to me that people are having to wait 25 to 30 minutes in lines to get to meals in the dinning room on the ground floor. All I can think about is what they'd do in an emergency. It's about a 20 story tower, reinforced concrete, built in 1973. Many of the residents can't leave by the stairs. (My grandmother just turned 100, and like many residents she is wheelchair bound.)

I'm not interested in raising a stink that shuts the place downs and turns out hundred of seniors...but I'm also not comfortable knowing that if they lose power...well...I'd rather not think that closely about it.

If anyone knows where to look I'd be grateful. Thanks.

 

[PEinc]

Try calling the local building department's code enforcement officer?

http://www.PeirceEngineering.com

 

[phamENG]

PEinc - that may be where I end up. Just wanted to see if I could find some background information before taking it there. Thanks.

 

[SlideRuleEra]

Perhaps start with the Florida "Elevator Safety Act" but it appears to come into effect in 1990 (I did not see requirement for older installations to be upgraded). Original introduction of the act at about the same time as Americans With Disabilities.

Maybe you could contact management of your grandmother's building to see if they have on-site backup power.

http://www.SlideRuleEra.net

 

[Enable]

Guaranteed that the elevators are on back-up generator emergency power. Typical power outages shouldn't pose a problem. However, outages caused by CAT level storms might given the need to refuel the generator, which may be a tall task in the midst of a hurricane / large storm. IMHO for me more of a concern is what happens in the event of a fire as the elevator service will be entirely suspended. Do they have a documented protocol (more importantly is it understood) and are the designated areas of refuge actually suitable for such a circumstance (often I have found them not to be)?

 

[phamENG]

Good question Enable. Thank you. It probably isn't. Once Covid hit, they had terrible problems with turnover and most of the aides and nurses are new to the facility in the last few months. I'll have to look into it.