If you watch TV or the movies you will almost certainly have viewed scenarios of people being trapped in lifts, with storylines going from one extreme of it being a horrific and deadly experience to one which is turned into comedy gold.
The reality is that the fiction does not reflect the reality with incidents of people being trapped in a lift not only rare, but they also almost certainly end without injury.
We said they were rare, but that means they are not impossible, so if you have a residential lift, there is a slight chance that you could find yourself trapped in it due to a fault or a power outage.
In this article, we are going to point out 7 actions you can take to not only make the experience less traumatic than it could be but more importantly, to end the time trapped in your home lift sooner.
#1 Do Not Panic
The first action is that you try to stay calm, and most certainly try not to panic. Being trapped in a lift is not something any of us would choose for ourselves, but the truth is you are certain to be safe.
The experience is going to be more of an inconvenience than anything likely to be life-threatening so try to remain relaxed.
#2 Find A Source Of Light
In many cases, the lift’s light is likely to remain on but if there has been a power outage in your home unless there is an emergency generator, or the lift’s light has a battery backup, you might find yourself plunged into darkness.
If so, try to find a source of light with the most obvious one being your mobile phone. It might be a chink of light is coming through the doors, but do not try to force them open further, as that is dangerous.
#3 Try Resetting The Lift
This will be dependent on the functions that your lift’s control panel has, but in some, there will be a means of resetting the lift.
It could be that you have to press a combination of buttons, such as the door open and close buttons, or there may even be a reset button within the panel.
One point we must make is for you not to aggressively bang all the buttons in the hope of resetting the lift as that is likely to damage the panel.
#4 Press The Alarm Button
Many residential lifts have an alarm button.
This will not be linked to a reception desk that you might have in commercial buildings, but will more likely link to the offices or monitoring station of the lift installation or maintenance company.
As such, always ensure that they have your up to date details, especially your mobile phone should they call you as part of the rescue procedure.
#5 Call For Help
If your home lift does not have an alarm button then the next most logical way of contacting someone for help is to use your mobile phone.
Ensure you have the appropriate lift company number stored on your phone.
It also makes sense to have it written somewhere near the control panel of the lift just in case someone gets trapped in it who might not have the number, such as a visitor.
#6 Stand/Sit At The Back Of The Lift
Any rescue team that needs to force their way into the lift is most likely going to come through the lift doors.
They may have to use force so, for your protection, it makes sense for you to be sitting or standing at the back of the lift and away from the doors.
#7 Be Patient
The time you spend trapped in your home lift will seem a lot longer than it is in reality.
If you have alerted someone to your plight be assured they are on their way, so remain patient.