Being trapped in a lift can be a terrifying ordeal but if it happens to you in Cambridgeshire prepare for a long wait to be rescued
Firefighters in Cambridgeshire will only help people if they have been stuck in a lift for THREE HOURS or more, according to a new report.
Bosses and staff were fed-up with around 100 call-outs a year at a cost of several hundred pounds each time.
So they have drawn up a new policy that could mean more people decide to take the stairs rather than risk a dodgy lift.
In future CALLERS will be charged £362 for fire crews to attend a trapped lift incident.
There will also be an additional charge of £90 for every 15 minutes in the first hour.
Owners of buildings with faulty lifts should take responsibility for freeing trapped people, according to the county's fire service.
A report, approved by Cambridgeshire Fire Authority, outlined the terms set by the county's firefighters.
It lists three possible "outcomes" to a trapped lift scenario.
Waiting time: Firefighters in Cambridgeshire will charge property owners for call-outs to broken lifts
An emergency response by the fire service will be launched if the person trapped is seriously ill or "likely to become seriously ill".
Crews will only launch a non-emergency response if "the person has been stuck in the lift for three hours or more".
The report also states they will not rush to the scene like they would do with sirens blaring for a major incident.
Finally, firefighters will not attend if "a release can be made by a lift engineer or someone else responsible for the lift" and nobody is in danger.
新聞資訊:
這項(xiàng)即將實(shí)施的新政策明確表述,被困在電梯中不足三小時(shí)的,被困方需要支付362英鎊,消防人員才會(huì)抵達(dá)現(xiàn)場(chǎng)進(jìn)行營(yíng)救。另外,被困一小時(shí)之內(nèi)的,每花費(fèi)15分鐘,求救方還需要額外支付90英鎊作為酬勞。
雖然這項(xiàng)新規(guī)引發(fā)眾多居民的不滿,但劍橋郡消防隊(duì)負(fù)責(zé)人表示,這項(xiàng)新規(guī)有利于節(jié)省消防員的時(shí)間和精力,提高消防部門的效率。
據(jù)消防部門提供的數(shù)據(jù)表明,2013年,該郡接到的電梯被困求救不下100起。但其中大部分的情況并不危急,很多事故電梯維修工就能處理。這不但增加了消防隊(duì)上百英鎊的支出,還延誤了營(yíng)救其他危急事故的寶貴時(shí)間。
不過,消防部門承諾,如果被困在電梯中的人員是危重病人,或是有生命的危險(xiǎn),他們還是會(huì)在第一時(shí)間實(shí)施營(yíng)救。