Islanders need a lift in recent elevator entrapments
Last Saturday Feb. 10, there was an elevator entrapment on island. The Boca Grande Fire Department quickly rescued stuck passengers from a third-floor elevator at 5091 Gasparilla Road after a 911 call. There was a separate case on Jan. 27 that was also resolved.
“You see how regular they are,” said Boca Grande Fire Department Chief C.W. Blosser. Readers will be floored to know that on an island where high-rises are prohibited by state statute, elevator rescues are quite common.
“I had one elevator rescue in 23 years,” said Blosser, talking of his early career. That has changed.
Today, elevators are a more essential amenity, especially with new houses. And with the age of some residents, they are a necessity. “Almost every house on the island has an elevator,” said Blosser. Residential elevators are usually old-school carriers with cables and are easier to fix.
In case of stuck elevators, fire trucks have elevator door keys. There are issues other than passengers getting entrapped inside elevators. A stuck elevator could still open but be off by a few inches, as well. Many times, the door does not open properly.“They get out of alignment,” said Blosser.
The issue of residential elevator safety is something that is addressed by the United States Consumer Products Safety Commission. The residential elevators are not inspected like commercial elevators. While they are not dangerous per se, and they help the elderly and disabled avoid dangerous steps, there are still issues. The Commission, in a 2022 report, said it was aware of 41 deaths in the U.S. associated with elevators between 2018 and 2021. From 2020 through 2021, the agency reported more than 19,000 emergency room-treated injuries from home elevators.
Most of the dangers in home elevators are due to unsupervised children, including a death in North Carolina. There have been recalls in recent years, including brands like Residential Elevator, Inclinator, Savaria and Bella. The agency has also had a settlement with ThyssenKrupp Access Corp.
Adding to the normal issues, the construction work in both residential and condo elevators has added wear and tear during storm recovery. Often, the elevators are carrying much more weight than they were supposed to carry.
“We can tell when the tile guys were there,” said Blosser.
