Newsheet 3

Escalator & Elevator Overheat / Fire Protection

Other Fire Protection & Heat Detection Newsheets

AIRPORTS , HOTELS , METRO STATIONS , SHOPPING PRECINCTS , HOSPITALS , MULTI -STOREY CAR PARKS , OFFICE BUILDINGS - ALL are examples of where you would expect to find at least one of the subject risks - Escalators or Elevators/Lifts !

To many, the risk from undetected OVERHEAT conditions that develop into life threatening FIRE situations from escalators and elevators in any or all of the above areas, is either too small to warrant major concern and consideration, or reported too irregularly to justify (in their view) investment in a rapid, maintenance and false alarm free OVERHEAT / FIRE detection system.

Tell that to the individuals who lost their lives in the 1987 Kings Cross Underground disaster ! ...

Before anyone decides to comment that " ah yes, but that was a wooden escalator", let me remind you that even on the most modern of "personnel transportation systems", fires are still being regularly reported …with many more being recorded as mechanical failures (a term still loosely adopted by some where the cause of the " mechanical failure" happens to be an overheat from the engineering pit located drive motor that - more by luck than design - never quite develops into a fire, or a controlled fire situation from within the dust collection tray that is able to be extinguished without loss of life or damage to capital investment!).
To those of you that might also add that "we have learned a hard lesson from such disasters - it will never happen again" let me also add the words of George Bernard Shaw..."Most discoveries are made regularly every 15 years". This could well be said of industrial accidents because when they occur we discover their causes and introduce specific measures to prevent them happening again. Then, in time, experienced individuals leave the organisation taking their knowledge with them, the organisation as a whole forgets and, before long, conditions become ripe for another accident!

1,000 UK pounds sterling …is all it could cost (supply AND installation) to protect a single escalator installation with PROLINE "TH" DIGITAL LINEAR HEAT SENSING CABLE and suitable fixings and prevent a repeat of the loss of human life that has been witnessed before, as a result of escalator generated fires!! The total installed cost being kept low on those systems fitted during the original construction stage of the escalator, or during a routine maintenance programme.

LINEAR HEAT DETECTION - has been repeatedly and successfully employed for many years by at least ONE of the worlds leading escalator manufacturers. Installing the heat sensitive cable in a similar manner to that illustrated below in FIG .1 …….. at the time of original equipment manufacture!

Figure 1. - Escalator Protection

Many other similar equipment manufacturers have installed linear heat detection during the escalators operational lifetime. Typical UK references include (but are not restricted to) … London Underground, Heathrow, Gatwick and Edinburgh airports … .

With many International (non-UK located) airports, metro systems and hotels following suit. A more detailed reference list is available upon request.

The features and benefits that LINEAR HEAT DETECTION can offer this application, include LOCAL continuous monitoring and detection of overheat conditions (pre-combustion) at the POINT OF RISK - not some distance from the potential source of heat. Detection of abnormal temperature rises within areas of limited access and surveillance, false alarm free operation within adverse environmental conditions, low maintenance or maintenance free operation, alarm point location identification - i.e. the ability to signal remotely (via a dedicated interface unit) the exact location of the overheat along a zone length of sensor cable - which would not be immediately visible to the human eye, all at a cost effective supply and ease of installation without any specialist training or tooling required.

Is your customers life worth 1000 UK Sterling?

*includes associated interface unit complete with alarm point location feature, LCD colour coded display for visual indication of system operating status plus FIRE + FAULT volt-free output contacts signalling - all housed within an IP66 enclosure.

RS232 interface option available upon request.

ELEVATORS of course, present a totally different risk. With reports suggesting that the primary areas for protection being the machine room ( where fitted - FIG.2) or gearless machine and governor areas ( fitted to the "new generation" elevators - FIG.3 ) and the elevator shaft itself. These areas can similarly be effectively protected using the flexible construction of the LINEAR HEAT DETECTION systems "cable and detector combined" feature that is the small guage ( approx: 4mm ) heat sensor wire / cable.


Figure 2.	Figure 3.

News Media report - April 2002 :

"A fire which trapped residents in a 15-storey tower block in Blackpool, Lancashire is being treated as suspicious by police. About 30 firefighters tackled the flames at Ashworth Court in Layton at 2100 BST on Wednesday - April 24th 2002. The fire is believed to have started in the lift shaft. Several people spent the night in hospital suffering from smoke inhalation."

As the above media report indicates, recognition of a fire risk is not acceptance of a design or operating failure of mechanical equipment. In many cases, the risk is from the human intervention and in particular the biggest risk of all - ARSON ! Rapid detection of ALL fires (irrespective of their origin) minimizes damage to capital investment and human life.

For additional information on the most effective system to suit your particular requirements, please contact us.