During consultations with investors, one of the most common misunderstandings that Viet Chao encounters is the confusion between an elevator equipped with fire-rated doors and dedicated fire-fighting elevators. Many people assume that simply using fire-rated doors for an elevator is sufficient to meet the requirements for dedicated fire-fighting elevators. However, these are two different solutions with different purposes, operating principles, and technical requirements.

Understanding the difference between a conventional elevator with fire-rated doors and dedicated fire-fighting elevators helps investors select the appropriate solution for their projects while avoiding unnecessary investment costs and potential difficulties during fire safety appraisal and approval.

How are fire-fighting elevators regulated under national standards?

Currently, the requirements for fire-fighting elevators are specified in TCVN 6396-72:2010, which is equivalent to the European standard EN 81-72:2003.

According to this standard, elevators related to fire safety can be divided into two main groups:

• The first group consists of conventional elevators equipped with fire-rated doors and integrated with the FER (Fire Emergency Return) function.
• The second group consists of dedicated fire-fighting elevators, also known as firefighting elevators or fire emergency elevators.

Although both are mentioned in building fire safety solutions, these are two completely different systems in terms of function.

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What are fire-rated elevator doors and the FER function?

This type of elevator is commonly used in apartment buildings, offices, hotels, and commercial centers. In addition to standard operating functions, the system is equipped with fire-rated landing doors to help limit the spread of fire and smoke through the elevator shaft. The elevator also integrates the FER function, which stands for Fire Emergency Return. Simply put, this is an emergency operating mode activated when a fire occurs.

When the building’s fire alarm system is activated, the elevator immediately receives the signal and switches to FER mode. The car automatically travels to a designated safe floor, typically the ground floor or an evacuation floor. After the doors open to allow passengers to exit the car, the elevator stops operating completely. The purpose of this mechanism is to prevent people from continuing to use the elevator during a fire. This is an important safety principle because, during a fire, power outages, rising temperatures, or smoke entering the elevator shaft can put passengers at risk. In other words, the primary function of an elevator with FER is to bring passengers to a safe location and stop service until the emergency has been resolved.

Purpose of dedicated fire-fighting elevators

If conventional elevators are designed to stop operating in the event of a fire, dedicated fire-fighting elevators have the completely opposite function. These elevators are specifically designed to support fire-fighting, rescue, and emergency response operations. In many situations, firefighters need to quickly reach the upper floors of a building to carry out rescue operations or extinguish fires. In such cases, climbing dozens of floors on foot not only takes time but also consumes significant physical strength.

Fire-fighting elevators address this challenge by allowing firefighters to continue using the elevator during an emergency. This is why many people are surprised to learn that certain elevators can continue operating even while a fire is occurring in the building. However, to achieve this level of emergency operation, fire-fighting elevators must meet significantly stricter technical requirements than conventional elevators.

Why do dedicated fire-fighting elevators continue operating during a fire?

This is a question many customers ask when they first learn about fire-fighting elevators.

In practice, continuing to operate in a fire environment presents a major challenge for any electromechanical system. High temperatures, dense smoke, and water from fire-fighting systems can damage equipment or compromise operational safety. Therefore, fire-fighting elevator standards set out specific requirements to ensure that the system can continue operating reliably under harsh conditions.

The control buttons inside the elevator car and at the landing doors must have a minimum protection rating of IPX3 according to EN 60529:1991. This helps protect the equipment against water splashes from different directions during fire-fighting operations.

In addition, all electrical equipment installed in the elevator shaft must be positioned to minimize the risk of direct contact with water. The standard requires these devices to be installed at least one meter away from the elevator shaft walls to reduce the impact of dripping water or high-pressure water jets.

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Which buildings require dedicated fire-fighting elevators?

For most civil buildings today, conventional elevators equipped with fire-rated doors and the Fire Emergency Return (FER) function can meet safety requirements in the event of a fire or other emergency. Meanwhile, large-scale buildings and high-rise structures generally need to be equipped with dedicated fire-fighting elevators to support firefighters during rescue and emergency response operations.

The table below provides a clearer overview of the application scope of each type of elevator:

Each building has different fire safety requirements, and not every project needs a dedicated fire-fighting elevator. Therefore, choosing the right solution from the beginning helps investors ensure regulatory compliance while optimizing costs.

With more than 20 years of experience in the elevator industry, Viet Chao provides elevators with fire-rated doors certified to E120, as well as dedicated fire-fighting elevator systems for high-rise buildings. If you are looking for a suitable solution for your project, contact Viet Chao at 0898 55 28 88 for technical consultation and a detailed quotation.

Does a dedicated fire-fighting elevator require a separate inspection?