Looking for Ideas

[Subtitles]

We have a lift (elevator) in our building with 5 floors. Over the past few weeks we had two incidents where people got trapped inside and needed help to get them out of the lift.
The company that does the maintenance take their time to come and help and after 5pm the emergency call number is shut down. The quickest way is to call the fire brigade number and they respond quite fast but every call costs us a lot of money. This is not a big issue as we want the tenements to get out of the lift and into safety. Inside the lift there is a bell that works but it is not loud enough and if someone gets trapped late at night and his mobile is not working then he can stay inside all night.
Now this is what I need. I want to install a bell in every floor or every second floor if it is loud enough and the person who gets trapped inside can trigger the alarm from inside the lift. But there are two doors that are shut down when the lift is moving and the signal has to be strong enough to go through two steel doors. I know this is difficult because when I am inside the lift and have a mobile radio switched on, the FM stations go almost dead, especially on the lower floors.
Any ideas what we can use to have a better warning system?
Thanks for any suggestions.

[TreeTops]

Any signal going through steel doors will have a problem. In the U.S. most elevators have a phone installed for such emergencies.

Call a good elevator company and have them install a phone. Probably will cost $1000 U.S. dollars to do that but you can ask each tenant to contribute.

[Subtitles]

Any signal going through steel doors will have a problem. In the U.S. most elevators have a phone installed for such emergencies.

Call a good elevator company and have them install a phone. Probably will cost $1000 U.S. dollars to do that but you can ask each tenant to contribute.

Thanks for your reply. But why install a phone? Every Tennant carries a mobile phone these days and they can call the fire brigade whose part of their jobs is to help in such cases. At least the mobile phones have no problem dialing from every floor. I tested this myself with a friend on the receiving end from every floor.
From my own experience I got trapped once and waited 30 minutes until I was able to get out. But mothers with a baby, this can be a traumatic experience.

[thecoalman]

What you describe would be illegal here in the US. The button doesn't have to be for phone, it could ring a bell or multiple bells. It's not for elevators but they have wireless alarms but that introduces the issue of batteries etc.

Other than get a air horn or a crank siren.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=crank+siren&crid=VVOW16RL77GO&sprefix=crank+siren%2Caps%2C9...f=nb_sb_noss_1

[johns0]

Cell phones don't work in metal enclosures.

[Alwyn]

This doesn't make sense to me.
-"Everybody has a mobile, why would we need a lift phone?"
-"if someone gets trapped late at night and his mobile is not working then he can stay inside all night."
-After hours, nobody else is going to be in the building to hear this intended alarm.
-"From my own experience I got trapped once and waited 30 minutes until I was able to get out. But mothers with a baby, this can be a traumatic experience." How would this alarm have improved your experience considering you had your phone?
-Firies come quickly but are expensive.

What exactly is the issue? Communicating with the Firies or them/other rescuers being too slow?

How is this alarm system going to make it safer or quicker for the trapped occupants? What if nobody is on site to hear it?

IMO, if you want reliable communication (with anyone), a lift phone is what is needed, or put a sign on the lift "ensure your mobile phone is functional in case of emergency" (while considering what johns0 said).

[thecoalman]

I wouldn't say they are common but elevators in private residence are not uncommon here in the US. There has been cases where people have gotten stuck in them and died. Those presumably weren't regulated like a public elevator when they were installed. As far as public elevators I don't think I have ever seen one without an emergency/call button and that's going back to the 70's.

[Subtitles]

In my country we don't have elevator phones like what you describe in the USA. Not sure how it is in other countries.
All elevators public or private buildings have a button with a bell icon. When someone is trapped inside they press this button and a bell rings.
Public buildings have a desk which is manned 24/7 and they can help, but private buildings rely on this warning bell.
In our elevator the bell is not loud enough so I have asked to change it to one which is loud enough to be heard in every floor.
This can take some time or not at all. This is why I am trying to think of another solution.

[Cornucopia]

Cell phones don't work in metal enclosures.

..."well."

They don't work WELL, due to signal interference.
But I can tell you from experience that I daily use my phone in the elevator at the building where my work office is, and I can be talking outside, walk inside, get in the elevator, ride up 3 floors, get out and walk down the hall to my office, through 2 electronically locked doors, and sit down at my desk - all while continuously talking in conversation on my phone.
As usual, YMMV, depending on many environmental factors.


Scott

[johns0]

I didn't specify any certain elevator,just anything that's surrounded by metal which is some elevators so it's best to test it with a smart phone first.

[Cornucopia]

@Subtitles, it sounds to me like both the elevator maintenance company and the residential management company are not doing their jobs, and rather than you trying to come up with some technological solution to bypass their bad faith efforts/incompetency, while potentially putting yourself into a legal mess if you are not authorized to make changes to the system, you might be better served by bringing legal suit against them and/or bringing it to the attention of local news agencies. Or maybe not even doing that but threatening to. (Fear of) Getting caught with their pants down often helps amoral companies remember their morality.


Scott

[Subtitles]

@Scott I have asked the residential management to demand from the elevator maintenance company to install a louder bell so that it can be heard in all floors.
I have no intention of making any changes to the system myself. Just trying to think of a better way to sound an additional alarm.
We don't do law suits unless someone gets really hurt or dies. The elevator company have good lawyers so threats don't work.
I got interested about what people said about elevator phones. It would be interesting to know which other countries use elevator phones in residential buildings besides the USA.

[Alwyn]

You may find some references/links to international rules here.