Stuck in an elevator: what to do right now
Press the emergency call button, stay calm, don't force the doors, and wait for help. Modern elevators are designed so riders stay safe while help arrives.
Stuck in an elevator
If you're stuck in an elevator, press the emergency call button, stay calm, and stay inside. Don't force the doors. The button connects to a monitored line that can see the elevator's address. Most extractions take 30 minutes or less once help is dispatched. If the intercom is dead, use your phone to call the building or 911.
Why the emergency button works even if the lights flicker
The call button and emergency lighting are on a separate circuit with battery backup, so they keep working when the main elevator power is cut. Under NFPA 72, the secondary power supply for these two-way emergency communication systems must sustain the system for at least 24 hours under normal load, plus 4 hours with all remote stations activated. The operator stays on the line until a mechanic or the fire department is dispatched and can tell you what's happening.
The alarm button is different. It rings a loud bell that can be heard on every floor the elevator serves. Press it if the call button doesn't respond, or along with the call button in any older building where the intercom isn't maintained.
Otis advises riders to "push or pull the ALARM button to call for assistance" and to "not force open the elevator doors" — standard guidance that aligns with how the systems are designed. Schindler similarly advises riders to "never climb out of a stalled elevator" and to use the alarm or intercom to call for assistance.
How long extractions actually take
Institutional elevator-entrapment procedures from universities and major building managers typically set 30 minutes as the threshold response time: if the elevator company cannot reach the building within 30 minutes, the fire department is called. Most rescues in buildings with on-site maintenance can be under 10 minutes. Transit stations and large commercial towers with contracted mechanics are usually in the 20 to 45 minute range. The outliers — someone trapped for hours — are almost always overnight calls in smaller residential buildings where nobody heard the alarm.
The longest confirmed elevator entrapment on record lasted six days: Kively Papajohn, 76, of Limassol, Cyprus, was trapped in her apartment building's lift from 28 December 1987 to 2 January 1988, according to Guinness World Records. That case is the cautionary tale behind why most cities now require emergency phones that connect to a monitored line, not a unit inside the building.
When the fire department gets called
Elevator companies prefer to handle entrapments themselves because a trained mechanic can get the cab moving again without damaging the hoistway doors. Fire departments are called when the mechanic can't arrive inside a reasonable window (often set at 30 minutes), when someone inside is injured or medically at risk, or when a building has no elevator service contract. Under ASME A17.1, firefighters have access to Phase I Emergency Recall Operation and carry drop keys that open any hoistway door from the landing. Once they confirm the cab is aligned safely, they'll walk you out.
What not to do
Do not climb out through a partially open door. Do not push open the roof hatch — those are designed to be opened from outside by a mechanic, and the top of the cab is covered in cables, sheaves, and moving parts. Do not try to force the doors with anything you're carrying. Serious injuries from elevator entrapments come overwhelmingly from self-rescue attempts, not from the stopped cab itself. The Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation (EESF) emphasizes staying inside and using the alarm button as the two most important actions.
After you're out
Report the outage to the building and, if the building doesn't maintain a public record of its elevator history, add it to a public tracker so future tenants, workers, and visitors can see it. A single documented outage rarely changes anything. A pattern of them over weeks or months is how tenant advocates, disability rights lawyers, and housing inspectors build a case.
Frequently asked questions
What should you do if you get stuck in an elevator?+
Press the red emergency call button, which connects to a monitored line. Stay calm, stay inside the cab, and do not try to force the doors open. If the call button doesn't respond, bang on the door and shout so anyone on an adjacent floor can alert the building. Most extractions are resolved in 30 minutes or less once help is dispatched.
How long are you usually stuck in an elevator?+
Most rescues are completed within 30 minutes once the emergency call is answered — many institutions set this as the threshold before the fire department is called. In busy residential, office, or transit buildings, a mechanic or fire crew is usually on site within an hour. Longer delays typically happen overnight in smaller buildings without on-call maintenance, or when a storm has knocked out power across a wide area.
Is it safe to stay inside a stopped elevator?+
Yes. A stopped elevator is the safest place to be. Cabs are ventilated, have multiple independent braking systems, and are designed to hold position safely. The danger comes from trying to climb out through a partially open door or the roof hatch. Stay inside until a mechanic or the fire department opens the door from the landing.
What happens if the emergency phone doesn't work?+
If the call button is dead, press the alarm bell, which rings on every floor. Most people passing by will hear it and call building management or 911. If you have cell signal, call the building's front desk or maintenance line, or call 911 and tell the dispatcher your exact building address and the floor you were traveling between.
Can an elevator fall if the cables break?+
No modern elevator falls freely even if all suspension cables were to fail. Elevators use redundant steel cables plus mechanical safeties that clamp the cab to the guide rails the moment they detect an overspeed condition. The safety brake for passenger elevators was invented in 1852 and has been a required feature ever since.
Should you call 911 if you're stuck in an elevator?+
Call 911 if someone is injured, medically at risk, or the emergency phone isn't working and you can't reach building staff. Otherwise, the emergency call button is the faster route: it goes straight to a monitoring center that already knows the elevator address. Fire departments are typically called as a last resort when the elevator company cannot reach the site within roughly 30 minutes.