Instant Vertical Lockdown: The Fastest Way to Contain a Lobby Threat

When a threat enters your building, every second matters. In active shooter scenarios or armed intrusions, your best line of defense is containment-and that starts in the lobby.

Instant vertical lockdown is the most reliable method to trap the threat where law enforcement can quickly intervene-before they reach upper floors where chaos spreads and evacuations become dangerous.

Here’s how it works-and why every building should be ready to activate it in a single action.

What Is Instant Vertical Lockdown?

It’s the ability to disable elevator access above the lobby with one command-automated by sensors or triggered manually by staff. The goal: confine the attacker to the ground floor and prevent upward movement entirely.

Done right, it protects tenants, reduces risk to first responders, and gives law enforcement a focused zone for engagement.

Key Principles for Containment

• Stop vertical movement. Prevent the attacker from reaching tenant floors or stairwells.
• Clear the lobby. Evacuate employees and visitors if safe to do so.
• Automate where possible. Rely on gunshot detection, aggression analytics, or panic button triggers to instantly disable elevators. Manual overrides are essential-but automation ensures no time is lost.

For Traditional Elevator Systems

• Most buildings still use “two-button” elevator systems. There are multiple ways to lock these down:
• Floor-Button Lockout: A command disables all car-call buttons above the lobby.
• Card-Reader Lockout: Credentials are blocked from calling an elevator at the lobby.
• One-Touch Lockdown: Security platforms like BluSKY allow a single soft-button to activate lockdown across multiple systems-available at the front desk, SOC, or via a secure mobile app.

👉 Pro tip: Always keep the lobby as a “free” floor so people can exit safely or return from upper floors.

For Destination-Dispatch Elevators

Destination-based elevators require more complex coordination:

• Card-Reader Lockout (Preferred): Disables all dispatch readers to block elevator calls.
• Schedule Swap: Push an emergency profile to every keypad. Effective but slower.
• Vendor API Commands: Some elevator manufacturers offer a “lock all” API call. Others may require direct coordination with a service technician.

Each system is different-test and validate integrations during commissioning.

Triggering Lockdown: Automation + Backup

Build redundancy into your lockdown response with multiple control options:

Control Type	Where It Lives	Why It Matters
Automatic Sensors	Gunshot detectors, analytics	Fastest way to trigger lockdown
Fixed Consoles	Lobby desk, security office, SOC	Reliable manual backup
Mobile App Interface	Secure smartphone or tablet	Gives security control if consoles fail

Don’t forget: always include a clearly marked “Reset” button to restore elevator function after the all-clear.

Checklist: Are You Lockdown-Ready?

The Takeaway

• Elevator lockdown isn’t just a smart strategy-it’s a life-saving one. When the unthinkable happens, a fast, automated response can mean the difference between containment and catastrophe.
• With BluSKY, instant vertical lockdown becomes a seamless part of your building’s emergency response-giving you control when it matters most.