Buried in the comment thread at FurCon was a little exchange that I think is important. I boils down to (paraphrasing): "I never had any problems with the elevators (except when they were broken), so putting staff in the elevators wouldn't help."
Except that the reason you recruit Elevator Party Hosts is to prevent the elevators from breaking down by reducing the abuse to which we put them. Specifically, fans will, if not restrained, overload elevators. While that's okay for one group, if you keep doing it for long periods of time, the elevators will first slow down, then break entirely.
EPHs limit the loads in the elevator -- usually about ten more-or-less normal-sized people -- per load. This irritates the person who can't get in because it looks like there is enough room, but really, it's just like the metering lights on freeway on-ramps: Sure, it looks like you could squeeze more people in, but if you keep doing it, the whole system crashes due to an overload.
Most people don't realize this. I certainly didn't until I was taught some of the facts of elevator life from people who had to live through the mess at Atlanta in 1986, where overloaded elevators slid down (slowly) 40 stories through the open atrium to come to a soft landing on the safety springs.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-02-01 02:33 am (UTC)Except that the reason you recruit Elevator Party Hosts is to prevent the elevators from breaking down by reducing the abuse to which we put them. Specifically, fans will, if not restrained, overload elevators. While that's okay for one group, if you keep doing it for long periods of time, the elevators will first slow down, then break entirely.
EPHs limit the loads in the elevator -- usually about ten more-or-less normal-sized people -- per load. This irritates the person who can't get in because it looks like there is enough room, but really, it's just like the metering lights on freeway on-ramps: Sure, it looks like you could squeeze more people in, but if you keep doing it, the whole system crashes due to an overload.
Most people don't realize this. I certainly didn't until I was taught some of the facts of elevator life from people who had to live through the mess at Atlanta in 1986, where overloaded elevators slid down (slowly) 40 stories through the open atrium to come to a soft landing on the safety springs.