View source for Fireman's pole

{{Short description|Pole that firefighters slide down to reach ground level}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}}
[[File:Pole position May 2011.jpg|thumb|The firepole in a fire station in [[Toronto, Ontario]]]]

A '''fireman's pole''' (also called a '''firefighter's pole''', '''sliding pole''' or a '''fire pole''') is a pole that [[firefighter]]s slide down to quickly reach the ground floor of a [[fire station]]. This allows them to respond to an [[Emergency telephone number|emergency call]] faster, as they arrive at the [[fire engine]] faster than by using a standard staircase.

In the 1870s, answering an alarm, Chicago fireman George Reid decided to use the long-pole the company employed to lift horse's hay from the upper-loft to slide to the ground floor, arriving well ahead of the rest of the company.  Company Captain David Kenyon of [[Engine Company 21 (Chicago)|Engine Company 21]] then successfully petitioned the department be allowed to install a pole through the floor of the loft sleeping space to create what became the standard set-up.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Grossman |first=Ron |date=2022-02-24 |title=In response to White Chicagoans mocking the first Black fire crew in 1872, they wanted to prove themselves as good, if not better |work=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-chicago-first-black-firemen-engine-21-20220224-awrbklf3svbxnmp6zpce7ouemq-story.html |access-date=2022-02-24}}</ref>

== Overview ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=November 2020}}
The firefighter's pole is found in multi-level fire stations, if the [[firefighter]]s' living quarters are located upstairs. When they are dispatched to an emergency, the firefighters descend to the ground floor, put on their firefighting gear, and board the fire engine as quickly as possible. The pole may run through a hole in the floor, or it may be accessed from a balcony. To use a pole, a firefighter grasps it with their hands, then clamps their legs around it, and then replaces their tight hand grip with a looser hand or arm grip to allow themselves to descend, using their legs to control the speed. This is somewhat similar to the technique used for [[fast-roping]].

== History ==
[[File:Vancouver firemen turning out for a fire alarm (HS85-10-22257).jpg|thumb|right|Vancouver firemen using firepoles to leave their dormitory, 1910]]
[[stairway|Spiral staircases]] or sliding [[chute (gravity)|chute]]s were once common, but not particularly fast. Fire houses were also equipped with spiral staircases so horses would not try to climb the stairs into the living quarters.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fire Houses and Fire Fighting| url=http://www.weirdfacts.com/facts/3124-fire-houses-and-fire-fighting.html}}{{Unreliable source?|date=March 2022|reason=http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2015/08/firemans-poles-really-thing/: "Of course, documented instances of this ever happening are seemingly non-existent as far as I can find, and the supposed problem could have easily been solved by simply tying up the horses or putting them in stalls, among other simple solutions. And, let’s face it, you don’t just let horses you might need at the ready at a moment’s notice wander around as they please, so it may well be that spiral staircases were common in fire stations at the time for the same reason most other spiral staircases are put in- to save space."}}</ref>

[[Fire captain|Captain]] David B. Kenyon of Chicago's all-black [[Engine Company 21 (Chicago)|Engine Company No. 21]] worked in a three-story fire station. The ground floor contained the [[glossary of firefighting equipment|firefighting equipment]], the floor above was for [[recreation]] and sleeping, and the top floor was the [[loft|hayloft]] to store the winter supply of [[hay]] for the [[fire engine]]s' horses. During transport, the hay was secured to a wagon using a wooden binding pole, which was stored in the hayloft when not in use. Firefighter George Reid slid down the pole to respond to a call for help once, which inspired Kenyon to create a permanent pole.<ref>{{cite book|title=Black Heroes of Fire| asin=B07M6ZG2XF}}</ref>[[File:Captain David B. Kenyon.jpg|thumb|Captain David B. Kenyon]]In 1878 Kenyon convinced his chief to make the necessary hole in the building and install the pole, after agreeing to pay for any necessary [[Maintenance (technical)|maintenance]]. The company crafted a pole out of a Georgia [[pine]] beam by shaving and sanding it into a {{convert|3|in|cm|adj=on}} diameter pole which they gave several coats of [[varnish]] and a coat of [[Paraffin wax|paraffin]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine |last=Alfred |first=Randy |title=April 21, 1878: Thinking Fast, Firefighter Slides Down a Pole |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2008/04/dayintech-0421/ |access-date=2023-10-05 |issn=1059-1028}}</ref>

Despite being the butt of many jokes, others soon realized Company 21 was usually the first company to arrive when called, especially at night,<ref name=":0" /> and the chief of the department ordered the poles to be installed in all Chicago fire stations. In 1880 the first [[brass]] pole was installed in the [[Worcester Fire Department]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Worcester |first1=MA |title=History of the WFD |url=http://www.worcesterma.gov/fire/about-us/history |access-date=September 18, 2020 }}</ref>

== Safety issues ==
[[File:Feuerwehrzentrum Kalk - Rettungs- und Feuerwache 10-4554.jpg|thumb|A firepole in Cologne with a door at the entry]]
Losing one's grip on the pole can result in falling from a great height; the firefighter may hit an object such as a door extending from a truck; poor speed control can result in injured or even broken legs upon impact with the floor; and [[friction burn|burn]]s can occur due to [[friction]] if the skin rubs against the pole. If the pole runs through an unprotected hole in the floor, there is a risk of a person falling through it, as well as exhaust fumes rising into the living quarters.<ref name="seattlepi"/><ref name="firerescue1"/>

For these reasons, fire stations built since the 1970s are often built with the living quarters downstairs, and some older fire stations have had their poles removed.<ref name="firerescue1"/> In the United States, the [[National Fire Protection Association]] has called for the removal of all poles from US fire stations due to safety hazards.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Newcomb|first=Tim|title=Sorry, Kids. Fire Stations Are Ditching Fire Poles|url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2039352,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225031330/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2039352,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 25, 2010|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=December 23, 2010}}</ref> The [[Fire and Emergency New Zealand|fire service in New Zealand]] has already removed most of them.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12045039|newspaper=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|title=The legacy of the fire station pole: relics being phased outnationwide due to health and safety|date=May 4, 2018|access-date=July 27, 2018}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, more modern fire stations are built with one storey negating the need for a pole and they are sometimes removed from old stations that no longer require the upper floors for operational purposes.<ref>{{cite web |first=Elizabeth |last=Fish |url=https://thelincolnite.co.uk/2011/04/fire-station-says-goodbye-to-pole/ |title=Fire Station says goodbye to pole |work=The Lincolnite |date=2011-04-20 |accessdate=2022-12-19}}</ref>

In October 6, 2016, {{Ill|Fire and Rescue Department of Guangdong Province|lt=China Fire Services Guangdong Fire Department|zh|广东省消防救援总队}}, [[Shenzhen]] Fire Department firefighter Private 1st Class Zhu Yicong died from a fall while sliding down the fireman's pole, being the only confirmed death from a fireman's pole.<ref>{{Cite web |title=朱弈聪 |url=https://www.mps.gov.cn/n2255079/n5590589/n5661377/n5661379/n5661457/c5664693/content.html |website=MPS Honor Roll}}</ref>

However, due to the strong tradition, time advantages and new safety features, poles are common worldwide even in newly built stations.<ref name="firerescue1"/> Slide poles can be made safer. Cushions can be placed around the base of the pole to soften landings. Exhaust control systems can stop fumes from rising upstairs. To prevent accidental falls, the pole can be guarded by railings, baskets, a door or a weight-activated trapdoor that opens only when weight is applied to the pole.<ref name="seattlepi">{{cite news| url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/360585_pole25.html | work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer | first1=Hector | last1=Castro | title=What's a fire station without a fire pole? $150,000 cheaper | date=April 24, 2008}}</ref><ref name="firerescue1">{{cite web|last=Hamill|first=Sean|title=Fire poles survive thanks to land values, tradition, efficiency|url=http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-products/tools/articles/10578-Fire-poles-survive-thanks-to-land-values-tradition-efficiency/|publisher=The Associated Press|access-date=June 3, 2011}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Fire fighting}}

[[Category:Firefighting equipment]]
[[Category:American inventions]]