Life Safety: Elevator Emergency Communications

 

Parkchester South Condominium’s elevators have gone through several cycles of modernization since the buildings were first constructed in 1939, but were grandfathered and not required to meet the newest NYC requirements for two-way audio emergency communications between the car and a source that could provide assistance in the event of an emergency. Not too long ago, NYC changed its rules requiring virtually every building having an elevator to provide two-way audio between the car and an emergency response source. Management requested proposals from various vendors to retrofit our elevators to meet the new requirement. Many buildings in NYC complied with the law by adding a hands free telephone to the elevator car which connects with a company specializing in answering these types of calls. For small building owners, this has been the most cost effective option. However, Parkchester South Condominium has 143 elevators meaning that we would be required to install 143 separate telephone lines with ongoing monthly telephone charges. Parkchester South Condominium had already installed an extensive fiber optic local area network to support our existing video surveillance camera infrastructure, heat control and residential building key systems and office workstations, so we requested from vendors a proposal that would take advantage of this infrastructure and utilize our Public Safety Command Center which operates 24 hours a day throughout the year. All of the returned proposals, whether using a telephone system or our fiber optic LAN, were quite expensive. Additionally, we began to consider how we would respond to emergency request and how we would handle false alarms. If someone called our Command Center for help we would have no choice but to respond but might later find that it was a false alarm or that we could not be sure if we should send Public Safety Officers or elevator repair staff. Or, what if there was silence in the elevator car? Could it be someone with a medical emergency or perhaps someone under duress? There would be no way of knowing for sure and the appropriate type of response would be delayed until someone was on the scene to investigate.

Our Information Technology Department proposed an alternate solution to that of these vendors. We would install instead a video and audio system rather than just an audio system. This solution would utilize the latest cutting edge technology rather than the older technology proposed by these vendors. Additionally, the system could offer enhancements and additional benefits to this life safety system beyond the capability of any of the proposals offered. First, it would also provide a video surveillance camera system on every elevator monitoring and recording to add protection for our residents and visitors. Second, our intelligent computerized system in addition to responding when the new elevator HELP button is pressed would also be able to detect audio events such as excessive noise, analytical events such as motion detection or a black out condition on the elevator if the lights went out or the camera was tampered with. Third, a video system would also help us to determine whether someone perhaps with a medical condition became unconscious after calling for help and allow us to immediately play back the recorded audio and video to investigate what took place on the elevator just before the triggering event and to respond appropriately. The HELP button, which will be in addition to the other buttons on the elevator panel, and is in effect a silent alarm with a visual indicator could be used to report suspicious activity near or in the building..

The installation of this system is well underway by our information technology and electrical staff with the travel cable being installed by Unitec Elevators. In June of 2011 we received our order of 23,000 feet of a custom built elevator travel cable containing fiber optics for the audio and video, specialized wire to also allow communication between the car and the roof top elevator machine room, and electrical wire to allow the system to run independently of the elevator’s electrical system. This independent electrical system, backed up by continuously charging batteries, allows the system to operate even if there is a power failure to the elevator or to the entire building. Also during the summer of 2011 all of the other components were delivered including cameras, speakers, microphones, electronic parts, machine room intercoms, etc. The logic controller is our own in-house design and is being built by Information Technology staff.

The system uses the latest version of the On-Net Surveillance System (www.onssi.com), Ocularis,a video management system software capable of handing audio, video and complex video analytics deployed on Dell servers and storage systems running over our high-speed and high capacity fiber optic LAN. Expected completion of the entire project is the spring of 2012. Each elevator will be posted with special signage as that elevator comes online.

Andre Butler, Director of Information Technology

Photos: Left to Right: Installation of the new video camera, In HELP button and controller-audio housing.
Below: Instructions placed in the elevator.