Health Technical Memorandum 05-03 Part E – Escape Lifts in Healthcare Premises
Health Technical Memorandum 05-03: Operational provisions, Part E: Escape lifts in healthcare premises is the primary guidance document for the design, installation, and management of escape lifts within the National Health Service (NHS). Published by the Department of Health Estates & Facilities Division in the United Kingdom, it forms part of the Firecode suite, which provides best-practice standards for fire safety in healthcare settings. This edition, dated 01 August 2006, specifically replaces the earlier guidance known as Fire Practice Note 3 (Escape bed lifts). It operates within a regulatory framework that includes the Building Regulations, Health Technical Memorandum 00, and various British Standards.
The scope of this document encompasses the technical details required to ensure passenger lifts can be safely utilised for vertical evacuation during a fire emergency. It defines an Escape lift as a protected passenger lift intended to transport occupants, particularly those with a critical dependency or physical disabilities, to a place of safety or the exit storey. The memorandum details structural fire protection, such as the requirement for protected shafts, and specific infrastructure like dedicated electrical supplies and intercom systems. It also outlines the operational roles of the Lift warden, including those designated for floors, cars, and control points.
The following sections detail the physical requirements, service specifications, and management procedures necessary to integrate escape lifts into a comprehensive healthcare fire safety strategy. This document ensures that the unique needs of healthcare occupants, including patients on King’s Fund beds, are addressed through specific technical and operational safeguards.
Fire Safety Strategy and Assumptions
The provision of escape lifts must be part of an integrated fire safety strategy that accounts for the diverse needs of building occupants. It is assumed that the building design complies with modern standards, including proper compartmentation and accessible lift lobbies.
- Accessibility: Lift lobbies must be accessible to persons unable to descend stairs, meaning no steps exist between wards and lobbies.
- Stair Capacity: Escape lifts are intended to supplement, not replace, escape stairs, which remain a necessity for total building evacuation.
- Priority of Use: Occupants on the floor of the fire are given the highest priority, followed by those on floors above the incident.
- Fire Protection: The building must have systems in place, such as sprinklers or compartmentation, to retard fire growth and permit orderly evacuation.
Physical and Construction Requirements
Escape lifts must be constructed to withstand fire and smoke ingress for a specified duration to remain operational during an emergency. This involves specific structural layout details and signage.
- Protected Shafts: The lift enclosure or group of lifts must be a protected shaft providing at least two hours of fire resistance.
- Protected Lobbies: Access to the lift must be via a protected lobby or hospital street to prevent smoke ingress.
- Lift Car Dimensions: If intended for bed evacuation, the car must accommodate a standard bed, its ancillary equipment, an attendant, and a lift warden.
- Marking: Cars must display a notice stating ESCAPE LIFT: DO NOT USE FOR GOODS OR REFUSE.
- Speed: The lift must be capable of running its full travel distance in no more than one minute when fully loaded.
Essential Services and Control Systems
Dedicated infrastructure is required to ensure the lift remains functional and under the control of trained staff during a fire. This includes specialised power and communication links.
- Electrical Supplies: Lifts require a dedicated circuit separate from other building services, protected from fire for the same period as the lift enclosure.
- Communications: A vandal-resistant intercom system must provide two-way speech between the evacuation control point, the car, and the machine room.
- Evacuation Control Switch: A switch located at the exit storey, housed in a break glass box and marked ESCAPE LIFT, is used to take immediate control.
- Operation: Upon activation, all landing call buttons are rendered inoperative, and control is vested solely in the car control station.
Management and Operational Procedures
The safe operation of escape lifts relies on the appointment of trained personnel and the execution of a predetermined emergency plan.
- Lift Warden (Floor): Responsible for organising horizontal evacuation and signalling the need for vertical evacuation from a dependent department.
- Lift Warden (Control): Manages the evacuation control point and operates the control switch to organise vertical movement.
- Lift Warden (Car): Manages the lift car from the internal control station based on instructions from the control warden.
- Fire Drills: Regular training must include scenarios where lifts are unavailable and procedures for releasing passengers from failed lifts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the definition of a dependent department in HTM 05-03?
A dependent department is defined as a fire compartment on a storey that is not a ground storey.
How long must the escape lift shaft resist fire?
The enclosure to the escape lift must be constructed as a protected shaft providing a minimum period of fire resistance of at least two hours.
Can an escape lift be used for transporting goods?
While it may be used for light ward goods like medical supply trolleys in normal operation, it must never be used for heavy goods and must be marked with a notice stating it is not for goods or refuse.
What is the maximum travel time allowed for an escape lift?
The rated speed must allow the lift to run its full travel in not more than one minute when fully loaded.
What happens to the landing buttons when the evacuation switch is turned on?
Operation of the evacuation control switch renders all landing call buttons and group collective control systems inoperative.
What are the requirements for escape lift electrical supplies?
The supply must be a circuit dedicated to the lift, separate from other building services, and protected from fire for the same duration as the lift enclosure.
What is the role of the Lift Warden (Floor)?
The Lift Warden (Floor) organises horizontal evacuation within a department and ensures the warden at the control point knows the evacuation service is required.
Does HTM 05-03 Part E replace any previous guidance?
Yes, this document replaces the previous Firecode guidance known as Fire Practice Note 3 (Escape bed lifts).
