A17.1 2019 Visual Text Communication – Rath Communications/Janus

 

This is our second feature pertaining to the 17.1 2019 requirement for visual and text capabilities.  Thank you to our friends at Rath for working with us to get the word out about their product.  It is here, lets learn about it and get it installed and working!

Please explain how your visual communication system works and how it complies with the 2019 A17.1 code.

Our fully compliant SmartView product is a camera and text display all-in-one. The camera allows emergency personnel to view the entire floor of the cab and communicate with trapped elevator     passengers with "Yes" or "No" questions to be answered through "Yes/No" buttons. This combination of text and visual communication ensures emergency personnel can communicate with     passengers in whatever way is needed. Concurrently, Rath-Janus is developing its Monitoring Service to provide emergency call handling for 24/7 assistance.

How long has the product been on the market?

The original SmartView product was launched in May of 2020, and thousands of units have already been installed. Not content to stop at phase one, we've surveyed the market, collected customer     feedback and injected those insights into the second iteration of SmartView which is poised for release in Summer 2023.

What fixture companies use your product?

There are many fixture manufacturers and major OEMs who count themselves as SmartView users including Innovation Industries, PTL Equipment, ERM/Dupar, MAD Elevator, Monitor Elevator,     Canton Elevator, Schumacher, Schindler, Otis, ThyssenKrupp, and Kone.

Do you have a stand alone product that can be purchase direct to comply with A17.1 2019?

Our SmartView product can be retrofitted into COPs to comply with the A17.1 2019 two-way video requirement. All that is needed is a single twisted pair wire from the traveling cables to connect the     car phone to the machine room unit.

How does an emergency communication operator communicate with the person in the elevator?

 Our SmartView product features a phone, camera, and text display. If installers choose to connect the SmartView system to its phone, emergency personnel can communicate with the elevator via     voice just like they would with a traditional emergency telephone. Emergency personnel can also communicate with passengers via text and video through our website portal adding the visual     communication required by code. Cellular data and voice gateways are also available for use and support other Rath-Janus products supporting a flexible offering.

How does your product differ from other competitors who have similar product offerings?

We pride ourselves on knowing our customers, and our SmartView product is tailored to installer needs. SmartView is an all-in-one solution that simplifies installation with an average install time of     less than 20 minutes. Our product is supportive of unique customer specifications, agnostic to whichever phone or COP that is needed. Lastly, we provide a full solution inclusive of hardware and     portal accessibility. The customer pays for the system and, through our online portal, is able to view their elevator when needed.

Do you offer a cellular option for the end user?

Cellular data and voice gateways are also available for use and support other Rath-Janus products supporting a flexible offering.

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.

IUEC Safety Stand Down - 4/28/23

Lets take a few moments this week to think more about safety.  Call your coworkers, call your industry friends, meet someone for lunch.   Most of us have had close calls, know of people who have been seriously injured or died.  Take a few moments, focus, think about complacency and how to avoid it.   Our goal is all elevator constructors walk out of our careers healthy and accident free.   We all have a responsibility here.

We got into the industry for a better life, not a shorter one.  Work safe!

Celebrate National Library Week – April 23rd – April 29th 2023

 

As the preferred maintenance provider for several municipalities, educational institutions, libraries, and park districts, we know our work has a positive impact on helping their facilities run smoothly.

In an effort to highlight the importance of the work they do, we’re planning to celebrate our library customers during National Library Week. As an integral component of our communities, libraries provide access to information and education regardless of socioeconomic status. Many are also a library of things as they’ve expanded to loan useful items such as museum passes, games, musical instruments and tools.  

 

The managing partner of Colley Elevator is at his local library once a week filling up his kids' book bags and making sure they get to the 1,000 books before kindergarten goal.  Libraries are more than books and information, they provide services like proctoring tests for certifications.  The company has used the local library to recertify for transferring elevator inspector licenses from ANSI to ASME.  Get to know your library and what they offer!

 

Colley Elevator currently takes care of over 40 libraries in the Chicagoland area on an ongoing basis and is doing upcoming construction/modernization projects at a few new ones.

From April 24th to April 28^th, we will select two winners each day to receive a YETI Daytrip® lunch bag.  If you are a library in our maintenance portfolio, be on the lookout, you may win!  If you are not in our portfolio and want to be entered, sign up for our mailing list and we will get your email for the drawing. From Colley to our libraries; thank you for servicing our communities and thank you for letting Colley be part of your everyday!

Support your library systems, show up, use their resources, vote yes for referendums and bond issue for improvements!

 

To see a really cool library elevator renovation we recently completed go to the link for the Forest Park Library elevator modernization project we completed at the end of 2022.  We had a great building owner and a great construction manager, SMC!

 

https://colleyelevator.blogspot.com/2022/11/hydraulic-elevator-modernization-forest.html

 

To learn more about this year’s National Library Week, visit https://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/natlibraryweek

 

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.

A17.1 2019 Visual Text Communication - Wurtec

 

Tell us about your company.  Where are you from? How long has it been around? What do you do, other products you may provide besides visual text communications, etc.?

Founded in 1985, Wurtec has built a reputation as the elevator industry’s destination for innovative solutions. We design, manufacture, and distribute products that empower elevator professionals work more safely, quickly, and efficiently. Our products include tools for elevator installation, repair, and modernization; safety gear; test & measuring equipment; elevator components; communication solutions; and more. We also design and manufacture residential and commercial elevator systems. You can check out our website to explore our complete product catalog.

We have our corporate headquarters in Toledo, Ohio and branches in NYC, Miami, Dallas, Vegas, Vancouver, and Toronto.

Please explain how your visual communication system works and how it complies with the 2019 A17.1 code.

The WUR-COMMultimedia Communicator from Wurtec meets the requirements of ASME A17.1-2019/CSA

B44:19, Section 2.27.1.1 and ICC IBC-2018, Section 3001.2, specifically providing:

• Two-way audio communications between passengers and designated personnel

• Text display for hearing- and speech-impaired passengers

• Standardized messages from emergency responders

• Video monitoring of inside the elevator cab, including the cab floor

A single-board computer running specialized software processes communications and conveys them to

designated stations or devices via an Internet or LAN connection.

How long has the product been on the market?

The WUR-COM has been on the market for about two years.

What fixture companies use your product?

Innovation Industries and PTL Equipment.

Do you have a standalone product that can be purchase direct to comply with A17.1 2019?

Wurtec offers a complete package for a compliant ASME A17.1-2019/CSA B44:19 and ICC IBC-2018. WUR-COM Watch video monitoring services and WUR-LINK cellular may also be purchased for a turn-key solution for hardware, connectivity, and monitoring.

How does an emergency communication operator communicate with the person in the elevator?

The operator may communicate with the occupant in the elevator through a standard phone call or through the WUR-COM website to access all three elements: audio, video, and text. This allows the operator to answer the phone and use the additional video and texting system as needed still traditionally. 

You can see a demonstration of the WUR-COM’s functionality in this video.

How does your product differ from other competitors who have similar product offerings?

Our competitors’ products commonly use a 2019-compliant system that adds the video and text capability to an existing elevator phone. The building will be required to maintain two communication mediums, increasing cost, complexity, and points of failure in the system. The WUR-COM provides an all-in-one solution for simplicity and dependability.

Do you offer a cellular option for the end user?

Yes, Wurtec offers a scalable cellular solution for the WUR-COM system.

Is there anything else you would like to plug or bring up?

Check out the Sentinel – Wurtec’s hydraulic elevator controller.

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.

State of Illinois Fire Marshall to extend FAID requirement on hydraulic elevators to 12/31/24

 

During the March 9^th, 2023 State of Illinois Elevator Safety Review Board meeting held at 5860 w 111^th Street – Chicago Ridge, IL the board extended the FAID[Fire alarm initiating device] requirement from being completed 12/31/23 to 12/31/24 on hydraulic elevators.

Hydraulic elevators – Hydraulic elevators with fire fighters automatic recall will need to be tested and witnessed by an elevator inspection and be fully functional by 12/31/24.  The FAID testing will be required every 5 years.

Traction elevators - Traction elevators will still be required to have their FAID done during their next CAT 5 test after 1/1/24.  If you can get the FAID done sooner on the traction elevators that is a good thing as well.  The FAID testing will be required every 5 years.

City of Chicago – The City of Chicago elevators are exempt from this requirement.  This requirement is only for non-City of Chicago elevators.

Take away - Building owners should still be trying to get their testing done as quickly as possible because we have run into many elevators that the recall function does not work, most of the issues is on the fire alarm company, sometimes it is a quick fix, sometimes it take a while.  The sooner we know the issues, the sooner we can work towards resolution and come into compliance with the FAID requirement! 

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.