With the high temperature in summer, elevator accidents have also entered a high incidence period. The reporter learned from the Jinan Fire Brigade that within less than a month from June 1st to 29th, the fire department has participated in 29 elevator emergency rescue operations using demolition methods. "Due to the lack of professional knowledge in elevator maintenance, in order to quickly save lives, we can only resort to forced demolition." Wang Jianliang, the captain of the Special Service Second Squadron of Jinan Fire Brigade, said that damaging elevators has brought many follow-up troubles to the community and maintenance companies, but this is also a helpless move. Regarding this, relevant personnel from Jinan Quality Supervision Bureau stated that the ownership of the elevator belongs to the owner, and the owner can only pay for elevator maintenance after demolition.

Fire protection: The owner requires the fire department to repair the elevator

"The summer weather is hot and dry, and passengers trapped in elevators often experience brief shock due to excessive fear, which can be quite dangerous." Wang Jianliang explained that fire brigades usually arrive at the accident site faster than maintenance companies. However, firefighters are not familiar with the operating principle of elevators. For the purpose of quickly rescuing people, they have to use hydraulic expanders and other equipment to forcibly pry open the elevator car door for rescue. However, in fact, many faults do not require destructive treatment.

"To be honest, we don't want to forcibly dismantle it," Wang Jianliang said. When an elevator malfunctions, a triangular key is often used, which is a special tool for elevator safety. Using this tool can avoid physical damage to the elevator car, but the key user must hold a valid elevator operation qualification certificate issued by the government department. The reality is that most of these keys are in the hands of maintenance personnel. Faced with this situation, firefighters can only choose to save people first, without considering the extent of elevator damage.

"After the elevator is damaged, it can no longer be used, which brings a lot of follow-up trouble to relevant parties." Wang Jianliang said that many maintenance companies complain that they arbitrarily damaged the elevator, causing great difficulties for future maintenance. Many owners also request the fire department or maintenance company to advance funds to repair or replace the elevator, which puts them in a dilemma in rescue. "Not damaging the elevator cannot save people, but damaging the elevator brings a series of troubles.".


Quality Supervision: Establishing an Emergency Response Center Can Solve Problems

"According to relevant regulations such as the Property Rights Law, it is not realistic to require the fire department or maintenance company to advance funds to repair elevators. The person in charge of the Jinan Quality Supervision Bureau stated that the property rights of elevators actually belong to all owners. After the elevator is demolished, if the owner wants to repair or replace the elevator, they can only pay for it themselves.".

Regarding this, the relevant person in charge of the Municipal Housing Management Bureau recently stated that considering the special nature of elevators, owners who encounter elevator malfunctions need to use maintenance funds and can follow emergency procedures for handling. As long as the maintenance department and property management company jointly issue an elevator malfunction report and stamp it with the official seal of the neighborhood committee in the jurisdiction, the housing management department can fully allocate housing maintenance funds specifically for elevator maintenance.

In response to the slow response and professional rescue technical issues reported by the fire brigade, relevant personnel from the Jinan Quality Supervision Bureau have also stated that the bureau has submitted a plan to the municipal government to establish the Jinan Elevator Accident Investigation and Emergency Response Center. In the event of elevator distress or accidents, passengers can contact the center in a timely manner through the call system, and the emergency center will contact the maintenance company closest to the elevator as soon as possible, and require the enterprise to send staff to the scene to implement rescue. The draft proposal for soliciting opinions has been completed, and if everything goes smoothly, it will be approved for implementation as soon as this year.