Lifts and essential fire-fighting equipment

7.—(1) The responsible person in relation to a high-rise residential building must undertake monthly routine checks of lifts for use by firefighters, evacuation lifts and essential fire-fighting equipment within the building.

(2) Where the responsible person identifies any fault with a lift for use by firefighters, evacuation lift or piece of essential fire-fighting equipment, the responsible person must take steps to rectify the fault.

(3) Where a fault identified under paragraph (2) cannot be rectified within a 24-hour period beginning with the time the fault is identified, the responsible person must, as soon as reasonably practicable—

(a)report the fault to the local fire and rescue authority by electronic means; and
(b)report the rectification of the fault to the local fire and rescue authority by electronic means when it has been rectified.
(4) The responsible person must make a record of the monthly checks undertaken pursuant to this regulation and make that record accessible to the residents of the building.

(5) In this regulation—

“essential fire-fighting equipment” means key fire-fighting equipment within the meaning of regulation 6(7) and any of the following located within the common parts of the building—
(a)fire detection and fire alarm systems including any detectors linked to ancillary equipment such as smoke control systems,
(b)evacuation alert systems,
(c)automatic door release mechanisms linked to fire alarm systems;
“routine check” means a check that any lift or piece of equipment is in efficient working order and in good repair, carried out in accordance with the relevant industry standard or any recommendations made by the manufacturers of equipment within an operators’ manual.