EN 81-73: Phase 1 All Lifts Recall to Ground on Alarm, Phase 2 Firefighter Key Switch EN 81-72, Non-Recall Zone Alternative Floor

EN 81-73:2016 (Safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts — Particular applications for passenger and goods passenger lifts — Part 73: Behaviour of lifts in the event of fire) applies to all passenger lifts in buildings that are equipped with a fire detection and alarm system. Key provisions: (1) Phase 1 — Recall: when the building fire alarm activates, all passenger lifts automatically return to the designated recall floor (typically the ground floor or another designated fire access level) with doors open and remain there; this prevents occupants from entering the elevator and being transported to a fire-affected floor; (2) Phase 2 — Firefighter control: once Phase 1 is complete, the fire service can switch the lift to firefighter mode using a dedicated key switch; in firefighter mode, the lift operates under exclusive fire service control (for EN 81-72 fire service lifts only); (3) Non-recall zones: if the fire alarm input indicates the fire is at the recall floor itself, an alternative designated recall floor must be used; (4) The standard requires that the interface between the building fire alarm system and the elevator controller be defined and specified — the fire alarm input is a dry contact or BACnet/IP signal; (5) All lifts in the building (not just firefighter lifts) must implement Phase 1 recall under EN 81-73; only dedicated firefighter lifts per EN 81-72 implement Phase 2. EN 81-73 is distinct from EN 81-72: EN 81-72 covers the construction of firefighter lifts; EN 81-73 covers the fire-recall behaviour of all lifts.

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