Don’t Get Caught in a Firetrap!

Fire broke out on an upper floor of a New Orleans hotel. As a precaution, guests on the lower floors were phoned and asked to leave the hotel. Five guests chose to use the elevator. The elevator went down about two floors, then reversed and went up until it stopped at the very floor where the fire was. The doors opened​—but would not close. Smoke poured in and the five passengers suffocated.

Elevators do strange things during fires. Smoke and heat affect the controls, and one cannot be certain just where an elevator will stop. Moreover, there may be a power failure and one could be stuck in a smoke-filled elevator.

Elevators are not fire escapes or safe exits during a fire. They can be very unpredictable.

Says the book “Fire and You”: “Under no circumstances are you to use the elevator in the event of fire, unless specifically directed by a fire department official on the scene, regardless of the height you are at in an elevatored structure.”

If it is so dangerous to use an elevator during a fire, why do firemen at times use them? If firemen believe that a fire is contained, they may do it to get to the fire area quickly.

But it is often not without danger. In New York city, firemen responded to a fire on the 20th floor of a building. Several firemen took an elevator. They pushed the button for the 18th floor and stopped on the 20th. The door opened to an inferno, staying open long enough for all the firemen to be killed. In recent years, however, a key-operated “fire service switch” has been installed on many elevators. This calls the car to the main level and gives firemen full control over its operation.

As for the wise hotel guest, he does not think of the elevator as a fire escape. Rather, after checking into a room he spends a few minutes to find out where the stairway exit is. If a fire breaks out at night, it may be too late to start hunting. If two are sharing a room, both ought to locate the stairway and discuss its location. Is it to the right or to the left as they leave their room? How many doors must they pass before reaching it? A wise person becomes so familiar with it that he could find it blindfolded.

During a fire, walk down the stairway​—do not run. And hold onto the handrail. Some people may be running, and panicky people running down stairways have been known to knock down others who are in their way.

Remember: If a fire breaks out in a hotel or a high-rise building, use the stairway for your exit, not an elevator. Don’t get caught in a firetrap!