In this elevator rescue training video, instructors Geoff Davis and Chris Smity discuss elevator evacuation procedures and rope rescue equipment set up when rescuing people trapped in an elevator.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION:

In this elevator rescue training video, instructors Geoff Davis and Chris Smity discuss elevator evacuation procedures and rope rescue equipment set up when rescuing people trapped in an elevator.

Below is the transcript of this video:

 So we have what we call a blind shaft elevator that goes multiple floors without a door. 

The elevator is installed in this blind shaft, there’s no doors around, there’s no hope of access. We’ve gotten to the point where we decide that we need to get people out. Maybe the mechanic’s there, says he can’t do anything for us, maybe we’re just not getting one.

We’re looking at doing a very simple pick off, for lack of a better term. Establishing either a high anchor or a high directional, lowering a person or letting a person rappel down the shaft. Get to the top, access via the car top, access, get the person, put them on a harness and raise them back up. It’s very much in the realm of rope operations.

There’s nothing too spectacular when it comes to the ropes up here. A lot of times you’re dealing with people who don’t have a lot of rope knowledge. When we do this, we’re in the fire department.  We’re not assaulting the next floor. You’re not pushing off the wall and jumping. We want to be slow and controlled when we go down because there’s a lot of things that can happen.

We’ll set up the elevators down on the first floor right now. So we’ve shown up, we’ve established where the elevator is, we’ve established there’s a blind shaft and we have no other access to the elevator but this. Gone through all the other stuff, elevator mechanics, five hours away, um, the victims down there have a mental emergency.

What, whatever process we got to to get to this point, we’ve decided that we are done with this operation.