European Standard
BS EN 81-72 — Firefighters Lifts
BS EN 81-72:2020 — Safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts — Particular applications for passenger and goods passenger lifts — Firefighters lifts
- 2016
- Established
- 300+
- Sites covered
- 800+
- Lifts maintained
- <1hr
- Emergency response
All standards
Applies to
Lifts designated for fire-and-rescue service use during an incident.
Summary
Sets the additional requirements for a lift designated as a firefighters lift — secondary power supply, water-resistant equipment, an FFL switch at the fire-access level, and protected lift wells and lobbies.
Who must comply
Building owners and designers of buildings over 18 m (England) where a firefighters lift is required by BS 9999 / Approved Document B.
Key requirements
- Manual control switch at the fire-access level (usually ground floor).
- Secondary power supply for 1 hour minimum operation.
- Water-protected motor, controller and shaft equipment.
- Two-way communication between the car, machine room and fire-access level.
- Recall to the fire-access level on activation.
How we help
We maintain firefighters lifts to the additional EN 81-72 regime, carry out the monthly drop-tests required, and document the lift’s readiness for emergency use.
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