A few posts ago I discussed the issues surrounding the usage of elevators in case of emergencies in high rises, particularly those involving fire. From the post on September 3rd:

“As the need for elevator evacuations began to be recommended as a viable option for everyone in disaster situations, recommendations from the institute resulted in the elevator industry remodeling and upgrading elevators to disregard smoke, a major cause of elevators not working in case of fire. In tall high-rises and skyscrapers, “fire-safe” elevators are beginning to be installed as a precautionary measure to allow fast, efficient egress in case of emergency. These elevators will also enable rescue workers to move throughout tall buildings much more quickly.”

Funny enough, that old mantra about not using elevators in emergencies is becoming more and more ignored by the week. Recently, a man was actually saved from a corn bin using a grain elevator, according to the Farm Forum:

“Emergency personnel used a grain tube, a device commonly used in saving someone trapped in grain. Most fire departments in the area have a grain tube, said Todd Salfrank, battalion chief at Aberdeen Fire and Rescue. Many elevators, such as North Central Farmer’s Elevator in Warner, also have the equipment.”

The trapped man was taken to the hospital with some bleeding from the head, but was able to stand up and get into the ambulance on his own accord. Now I understand that it’s a bit of a stretch to compare a grain elevator with an elevator in a high rise, but they both serve their purposes. If we can develop more immunity in our elevators, maybe they can be used to shuttle people away from danger in case of fires and other emergencies.

There has been a smattering of stories all summer about different metro transportation stations having some serious issues keeping elevators up and running. Here’s a quick rundown of a few such stories:

- During the summer, there was a baby blackout in Toronto that affected 400,000 people. Of course, a number of rescue crews were dispatched to elevators with people trapped inside.

- New York City’s Subway Service experienced a number of elevator and escalator malfunctions due to the reduced number of power sources for the stations to use.

- Washington D.C.’s Metro system experienced catastrophic amounts of escalator and elevator use that made for long lines and extremely difficult situations for handicapped and special needs riders.

So, now that it’s the fall, has anything changed for subway rider? One column from Greater Greater Washington says that an audit recently showed that D.C.’s metro system still isn’t up to snuff with what riders need. The authors do ask an important question though: “What level of availability should riders reasonably expect once these maintenance procedures are fixed?”

The answer: “1 out of 14 escalators out of service may be a significant shift in expectations for riders. And the target for elevator availability would actually mean Metrorail availability of 90% for riders with wheelchairs and strollers, since each trip requires 4 elevators and these riders can’t take escalators or stairs.”

As for right now, the other two problem areas for elevators and escalators in Toronto and New York aren’t experiencing the same problems that they were during the scorching summer heat wave, so why is D.C. still having these issues?

What do you think? Are the targets set by the D.C. Metro high enough for those who must use these transportation systems? Should there be a massive overhaul?