# Anxiety Disorders > Specific Phobias >  >  I got stuck in a lift during a fire alarm.

## Otherside

I've had lift phobia for a long time. I was able to make some progress on this over the last few years and it's not really been an issue so much. So much so that I've been able to use lifts. I'll still avoid lifts that go up very high out of fear of it crashing and being stuck on the top of something without being able to get done (shame really, I would have loved to be able to go up the Atomnium in Brussels last week), but otherwise, very few issues. 

Until this morning. When I went to take the lift up to work, and the fire alarm went off whilst I was inside the lift, with it travelling. 

Apparently this means the lift just stops entirely wherever it is, refuses to do anything no matter how many buttons you press (even the alarm button) and it just repeats "Lift out of action due to a fire alarm" over and over. Yes, it's due to a safety measure (dont use lifts during a fire.) Bit late if already in the lift. I thought I was going to burn to death. 

Fire alarm eventually stops, lift goes down back to the bottom floor and let's me out. Unsurprisingly, I decided to take the stairs up to work after that. It feels at the moment like all progress I made with dealing with this phobia has gone out of the window, and I've been stuck panicked for the entirety of the morning. Turns out it was just a fire alarm test, which I saw an email amount as soon I got up to my desk (I was late into work so didn't see it, that's another, unrelated story I'm not going into). I've spoken with the building manager who's agreed that lift shouldn't seal you in during a fire alarm, and who's going to contact the lift company over this. But I'm having problems calming down at all. 

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## Ironman

> I've had lift phobia for a long time. I was able to make some progress on this over the last few years and it's not really been an issue so much. So much so that I've been able to use lifts. I'll still avoid lifts that go up very high out of fear of it crashing and being stuck on the top of something without being able to get done (shame really, I would have loved to be able to go up the Atomnium in Brussels last week), but otherwise, very few issues. 
> 
> Until this morning. When I went to take the lift up to work, and the fire alarm went off whilst I was inside the lift, with it travelling. 
> 
> Apparently this means the lift just stops entirely wherever it is, refuses to do anything no matter how many buttons you press (even the alarm button) and it just repeats "Lift out of action due to a fire alarm" over and over. Yes, it's due to a safety measure (dont use lifts during a fire.) Bit late if already in the lift. I thought I was going to burn to death. 
> 
> Fire alarm eventually stops, lift goes down back to the bottom floor and let's me out. Unsurprisingly, I decided to take the stairs up to work after that. It feels at the moment like all progress I made with dealing with this phobia has gone out of the window, and I've been stuck panicked for the entirety of the morning. Turns out it was just a fire alarm test, which I saw an email amount as soon I got up to my desk (I was late into work so didn't see it, that's another, unrelated story I'm not going into). I've spoken with the building manager who's agreed that lift shouldn't seal you in during a fire alarm, and who's going to contact the lift company over this. But I'm having problems calming down at all. 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk



Rest assured - you just went through the worst case scenario.  Falling won't happen; they are designed to secure during an outage.

 :boogie:   :boogie:   :boogie:   - I haven't used my triumph trademark in a long time.  ::): 

We out six power outages last Wednesday - the last of the six was over an hour long and someone was in the elevator - my building has four floors and a basement (five total).  The maintenance men actually open the doors on one of the floors (I could see the guts of the car!).

Actually, as frightening as it is, you are safe - it locks in place and won't fall.

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## Otherside

Yeah, I've heard that lifts are supposedly safer than stairs (Eh, anxiety is far too often irrational). Fear of falling wasnt the cause of the panic here, more the fear of burning to death due to the fact the fire alarm was going off (it was a drill, but hadn't seen the email by then.)

Lift company have said it's a malfunctioning lift and have called the lift repair out. Supposedly if the alarm goes off, the lift is supposed to go to at the nearest safe floor, lock in place, and let out anyone in them. Not seize up entirely and not move until the alarm is turned off. So in some ways, they and management are relieved that I got stuck during a fire alarm drill, and that someone wasnt stuck during an actual fire. 

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## Ironman

......and keep using the elevator/lift!

....now escalators, that's a different story.  I have suddenly gotten the fear of falling backwards on an UP escalator.....or getting shoelaces caught.  That's recent, too.  I don't know why I have problems with moving stairs in a two story mall store.

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