Elevator Emergency Phones:

Your state enforces ASME A17.1 which requires a working emergency telephone or intercom for elevator emergency communications. The steps below will help you determine whether your emergency phone complies to this code.

1. Activate two or more elevator phones at the same time in order to determine that phones are able to hold a two-way conversation with emergency operator(s) simultaneously. If only one or none of the calls go through, one call is disconnected once the second one is made, the phones do not dial out or the parties cannot hear each other once the call is placed, this portion of the test is failed.

2. Ask the emergency phone operator if he/she is able to identify your cab numbers and location. If they are unable to do so, the emergency phone has failed this portion of the test.

3. Use the emergency responder phone (usually located on the main egress level, in the fire control room or at a guard station) to call and test the on-site responder’s ability to directly call back into the elevators without delay. If the elevator phones cannot be called back properly, this indicates failure.

If all above components function properly, you can rest easy knowing that your emergency phone will perform as expected in an emergency situation and complies to code.

Pool and Other Emergency Phones:

The process for testing your other emergency help phones is similar to that of testing your emergency elevator phones, the main difference being that you do not need to test to see if phones are working simultaneously as you do for separate elevator cabs. See the steps below:

1. Initiate a call from your emergency phone. If you are unable to connect, your emergency phone has failed this portion of the test.

2. If connected, tell your operator that you are performing a test and ask if they are able to hear you well. If they are able to do so, you are able to move on to the final portion of the test.

3. Ask the operator if they can identify your location. For ADA compliance, the most important requirement is that the emergency operator answering the call must be able to determine the exact location of the caller without the caller telling them. If the operator is unable to do so, the phone is not ADA compliant.

After performing a test, if any of your phones are not working correctly, be sure to contact the appropriate specialist as soon as possible so that they can assess the problem and provide a customized solution.