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Firefighter poles

timthedeac

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How much time does it really save for firemen to slide down a pole vs run down a flight of stairs? Maybe 10 seconds? vs the constant risk of getting hurt doing a bad slide or falling into the hole in the floor when there isn't even an emergency? Just seems like a bad idea.

This question inspired by tim jr's upcoming Halloween costume.
 
You should probably ask Batman this question too.
 
i mean, if they can't slide down a pole can we really trust them to fight a fire?
 
I would assume that sliding down the pole is safer than running down the stairs for them. They'll land feet first and they can moderate their descent with their grip. Maybe a playground slide?
120_spiral.jpg
 
I kinda dig the idea of firefighter poles in houses
 
I kinda dig the idea of firefighter poles in houses

My dad's buddy owned an oil company in town and just had stupid amounts of money, so when he built his new house he had a breakaway gate installed in his railing from his 3rd to 2nd floors that led to a fireman's pole. I still don't know how he got that by the inspectors.
 
i'm just spitballing here but it's POSSIBLE that building inspectors are susceptible to bribery
 
Pretty sure I've read that the original fireman's poles were not to save time. Original fire houses had stables on the bottom floor for the wagons and horses, and the firemen lived on the upper floors. The lack of stairs was to keep horses from climbing to the upper levels.
 
Pretty sure I've read that the original fireman's poles were not to save time. Original fire houses had stables on the bottom floor for the wagons and horses, and the firemen lived on the upper floors. The lack of stairs was to keep horses from climbing to the upper levels.

You can make a cow go up a flight of stairs, but man, once he's there.
 
Pretty sure I've read that the original fireman's poles were not to save time. Original fire houses had stables on the bottom floor for the wagons and horses, and the firemen lived on the upper floors. The lack of stairs was to keep horses from climbing to the upper levels.

Wait, did they have to climb a pole every time they wanted to go upstairs? That seems inconvenient.
 
Wait, did they have to climb a pole every time they wanted to go upstairs? That seems inconvenient.

That's a good point and you've got me curious. Found this on Wiki:

"Until 1878, spiral staircases or sliding chutes were 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.[1]

Captain David B. Kenyon of Chicago's all-black Engine Company No. 21 worked in a three-story fire station. The ground floor contained the firefighting equipment, the floor above was for recreation and sleeping, and the top floor was the hayloft to store the winter supply of hay for the fire engines' 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.[2]

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. The company crafted a pole out of a Georgia pine beam by shaving and sanding it into a 3-inch (7.6 cm) diameter pole which they gave several coats of varnish and a coat of paraffin.

Despite being the butt of many jokes, others soon realized Company 21 was usually the first company to arrive when called, especially at night, 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.[3]"
 
How much time does it really save for firemen to slide down a pole vs run down a flight of stairs? Maybe 10 seconds? vs the constant risk of getting hurt doing a bad slide or falling into the hole in the floor when there isn't even an emergency? Just seems like a bad idea.

This question inspired by tim jr's upcoming Halloween costume.
It really does save time. There are standards for the amount of time it should take from the initial alarm until the unit is rolling out the door. Most staircases are at one end of the building or another and the pole is centrally located also near the bunk room. It's much quicker to have a crew slide down a pole than to try and run in order down stairs.

Plus they're lots of fun.
 
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