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169:' 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
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However, due to the strong tradition, time advantages and new safety features, poles are common worldwide even in newly built stations. 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
226:' 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.
86:
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
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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
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has already removed most of them. 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.
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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
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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.
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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. In the United States, the
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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324:"In response to White Chicagoans mocking the first Black fire crew in 1872, they wanted to prove themselves as good, if not better"
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beam by shaving and sanding it into a 3-inch (7.6 cm) diameter pole which they gave several coats of
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521:"The legacy of the fire station pole: relics being phased outnationwide due to health and safety"
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has called for the removal of all poles from US fire stations due to safety hazards. The
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worked in a three-story fire station. The ground floor contained the
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The firefighter's pole is found in multi-level fire stations, if the
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474:"Fire poles survive thanks to land values, tradition, efficiency"
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Vancouver firemen using firepoles to leave their dormitory, 1910
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389:"April 21, 1878: Thinking Fast, Firefighter Slides Down a Pole"
448:"What's a fire station without a fire pole? $ 150,000 cheaper"
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Pole that firefighters slide down to reach ground level
497:"Sorry, Kids. Fire Stations Are Ditching Fire Poles"
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67:slide down to quickly reach the ground floor of a
277:A firepole in Cologne with a door at the entry
241:. The company crafted a pole out of a Georgia
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1319:Wildfire suppression equipment and personnel
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133:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
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1151:International Association of Fire Fighters
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153:Learn how and when to remove this message
214:and sleeping, and the top floor was the
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202:David B. Kenyon of Chicago's all-black
7:
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1309:Modular Airborne FireFighting System
382:
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295:National Fire Protection Association
131:adding citations to reliable sources
71:. This allows them to respond to an
550:"Fire Station says goodbye to pole"
322:Grossman, Ron (February 24, 2022).
957:Self-contained breathing apparatus
657:Firefighter assist and search team
548:Fish, Elizabeth (April 20, 2011).
495:Newcomb, Tim (December 23, 2010).
36:The firepole in a fire station in
25:
446:Castro, Hector (April 24, 2008).
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682:Fire department ranks by country
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79:faster than by using a standard
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1156:International Firefighters' Day
1116:Candidate Physical Ability Test
349:"Fire Houses and Fire Fighting"
667:Special operations firefighter
218:to store the winter supply of
75:faster, as they arrive at the
1:
1206:Wildfire emergency management
773:Hazardous materials apparatus
1181:World Police and Fire Games
1136:Fire protection engineering
299:fire service in New Zealand
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1429:Glossary of wildfire terms
1161:List of firefighting films
609:Personnel and organization
452:Seattle Post-Intelligencer
261:pole was installed in the
210:, the floor above was for
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1141:Geography of firefighting
672:Volunteer fire department
263:Worcester Fire Department
1459:Template:Fire protection
1176:World Firefighters Games
1070:Gaseous fire suppression
1146:History of firefighting
233:Captain David B. Kenyon
1548:Firefighting equipment
1284:Firefighting apparatus
972:Thermal imaging camera
952:Secure information box
768:Firefighting apparatus
526:The New Zealand Herald
476:. The Associated Press
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208:firefighting equipment
186:
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1329:Wildland water tender
911:Hydraulic rescue tool
677:Women in firefighting
509:on December 25, 2010.
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204:Engine Company No. 21
184:
35:
1370:Wildland fire module
1324:Wildland fire engine
1211:Wildfire suppression
748:Fire command vehicle
743:Airport crash tender
642:Retained firefighter
423:"History of the WFD"
363:Black Heroes of Fire
127:improve this section
1553:American inventions
1229:Aerial firefighting
1085:Stop, drop and roll
1075:Multiple-alarm fire
942:Portable water tank
851:Fire proximity suit
1269:Fire retardant gel
1254:Fire lookout tower
927:New York roof hook
778:Light and air unit
715:Fire lookout tower
622:Chief fire officer
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53:firefighter's pole
45:
1535:
1534:
1442:
1441:
1434:List of wildfires
1294:Helicopter bucket
1289:Firefighting foam
891:Hard suction hose
836:Fire extinguisher
826:Fire brigade keys
286:can occur due to
190:Spiral staircases
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89:Engine Company 21
63:) is a pole that
16:(Redirected from
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1131:Fire photography
913:("Jaws of life")
871:Fireman's switch
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505:. Archived from
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1050:Fireman's carry
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51:(also called a
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1109:Miscellaneous
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529:. May 4, 2018
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428:September 18,
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269:Safety issues
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143:November 2020
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112:This section
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1489:
1477:
1386:Ancient Rome
1360:Hotshot crew
1345:Fire lookout
1244:Fire flapper
1035:Fire control
1000:Chimney fire
886:Halligan bar
865:
861:Fire shelter
846:Fire hydrant
821:Fire blanket
816:Escape chair
793:Water tender
720:Fire station
647:Fire marshal
627:Fire captain
601:Firefighting
559:December 19,
557:. Retrieved
553:
543:
531:. Retrieved
524:
515:
507:the original
500:
490:
478:. Retrieved
451:
426:. Retrieved
416:
404:. Retrieved
392:
362:
357:
343:
333:February 24,
331:. Retrieved
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317:
304:
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280:
255:
236:
224:fire engines
198:
188:
167:firefighters
164:
149:
140:
125:Please help
113:
85:
69:fire station
65:firefighters
60:
57:sliding pole
56:
52:
48:
46:
29:
1379:By location
1365:Smokejumper
1222:and tactics
1100:Ventilation
1040:Fire safety
1025:False alarm
982:Terminology
932:PASS device
906:Hose bridge
896:Hazmat suit
831:Fire bucket
811:Bunker gear
753:Fire engine
698:Drill tower
652:Fire police
239:maintenance
192:or sliding
171:fast-roping
77:fire engine
1542:Categories
1411:Washington
1406:California
1274:Fire trail
1220:Equipment
1060:Flash fire
1030:Fire class
1010:Deluge gun
947:Rotary saw
917:Kelly tool
881:Fog nozzle
725:Hose tower
691:Facilities
632:Fire chief
406:October 5,
371:B07M6ZG2XF
310:References
212:recreation
1391:Australia
1338:Personnel
1299:Hose pack
1279:Firebreak
1259:Fire rake
1249:Fire hose
1239:Driptorch
1191:Wildfires
1121:Fire camp
1065:Flashover
995:Barn fire
990:Backdraft
841:Fire hose
803:Equipment
735:Apparatus
401:1059-1028
114:does not
81:staircase
61:fire pole
18:Fire pole
1502:Glossary
1478:Category
1447:See also
1355:Helitack
1350:Handcrew
1080:Rollover
1055:Firewall
763:Fireboat
662:Handcrew
533:July 27,
288:friction
251:paraffin
222:for the
95:Overview
1526:Outline
1490:Commons
1401:History
1314:Pulaski
1199:General
937:The pig
480:June 3,
247:varnish
216:hayloft
200:Captain
177:History
135:removed
120:sources
42:Ontario
38:Toronto
1304:McLeod
1166:Muster
399:
369:
194:chutes
1514:Index
1422:Lists
1020:Draft
962:Siren
922:Nomex
783:Quint
393:Wired
284:burns
259:brass
59:or a
708:list
561:2022
535:2018
502:Time
482:2011
430:2020
408:2023
397:ISSN
367:ASIN
335:2022
243:pine
118:any
116:cite
220:hay
129:by
1544::
552:.
523:.
499:.
460:^
450:.
438:^
395:.
391:.
379:^
365:.
326:.
265:.
253:.
173:.
83:.
55:,
47:A
40:,
593:e
586:t
579:v
563:.
537:.
484:.
454:.
432:.
410:.
373:.
351:.
337:.
156:)
150:(
145:)
141:(
137:.
123:.
20:)
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