A firemen's pole or sliding pole is a wooden pole or a metal tube or pipe installed between floors in fire stations, which was invented by Chicago, Illinois resident David Kenyon, although it is often incorrectly credited to the Boston Fire Department. A tree trunk as found at the Veluwe, The Netherlands Wood is derived from woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs. ... Hot metal work from a blacksmith In chemistry, a metal (Greek: Metallon) is an element that readily forms positive ions (cations) and has metallic bonds. ... A hardwood floor (parquetry) is a popular feature in many houses. ... A fire station is a building or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus i. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub of the Universe (The State House, according to Oliver Wendell Holmes, is the hub of the Solar System), Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ...

Overview

Firefighters usually remain above the ground floor of fire stations until they receive a call for help, after which they have to move down as quickly as possible. Until 1878, spiral staircases or sliding chutes were common, but not particularly fast. The firemen's pole allows firefighters to move down much quicker than before, although it is not suitable for climbing up. The pole is attached to the ground floor, goes through a hole in the ceiling, and is attached as well to the ceiling of the floor above. In order to use a pole, a fireman must put his/her arms around the pole, step into the hole, and use his/her legs to control the speed of the descent, somewhat similar to the technique used for abseiling. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Distress call. ... 1878 (MDCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Spiral (double helix) stairway in the Vatican Museum Stairs, staircase, stairway, stairwell, and flight of stairs are all names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps. ... This intricate ceiling is part of the Capitol Theatre in Melbourne, Australia, designed by architect Walter Burley Griffin. ... In British English, abseiling (from the German abseilen, to rope down) is the process of descending on a fixed rope. ...

History of the invention

David Kenyon of Chicago's Engine Company No. 21 worked in a 3 story fire station; the ground floor containing the firefighting equipment, the floor above being the floor for recreation and sleeping, and the top floor being the hayloft which was used to store the winter supply of hay. 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 Captain David Kenyon to create a permanent pole.
In 1878 he convinced the Chief of Department 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" diameter pole which they gave several coats of varnish and a coat of paraffin. Note: This list is incomplete. ... People participating in summer luge as a form of recreation, in the Vosges. ... Sleep is the state of natural rest observed in most mammals, birds, fish, as well as invertebrates such as the fruitfly Drosophila. ... A loft, in the sense of the word meaning attic. ... Hay is dried grass (and pasture flowers) cut and used for animal feed. ... This article concerns the rank and title of Captain. ... Maintenance, Repair and Operations or Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO), is fixing any sort of mechanical or electrical device should it get out of order or broken (repair) as well as performing the routine actions which keep the device in working order (maintenance) or prevent trouble from arising (preventive maintenance). ... Species About 115. ... Varnish is a transparent, hard, protective finish or film primarily used in wood finishing but also for other materials. ... Paraffin is a common name for a group of alkane hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2, where n is greater than about 20, discovered by Carl Reichenbach. ...

After being the target of many jokes, people realised Company 21 was usually the first company to arrive when called, especially at night, and the Chief of Department ordered the poles to be installed in all Chicago fire stations. In 1880 the first brass pole was installed in the Boston Fire Department, and the poles become standard equipment all over the United States. Melbourne skyline at night Night or night-time is the period in which the sun is below the horizon. ... 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Brass is the term used for alloys of copper and zinc, the amount of zinc varying from 5 to 45 percent to create a range of brasses each with unique properties[1]. Note that in comparison bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin. ...

Safety Issues

There are a few safety issues: losing grip on a pole can mean falling down from a large height, the firefighter may hit an object such as door extending from the truck, poor speed control can result in injured or even broken legs upon impact with the ground, and burns can occur due to friction against the pole. In medicine, a burn is a type of injury to the skin caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, or radiation (an example of the latter is sunburn). ... It has been suggested that Coefficient of friction be merged into this article or section. ...

The National Fire Protection Association has called for the removal of all poles from fire stations, due to hazards, and in many cases fire stations now have only one floor, so no pole is even needed. Poles are now relatively scarce in the United States. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a U.S. organization (albeit with some international members) charged with creating and maintaining minimum standards and requirements for fire prevention and suppression activities, training, and equipment, as well as other life-safety codes and standards. ...

In New Zealand it is the policy of the New Zealand Fire Service that poles, where installed, should not be used, and that no newly-constructed stations are to have them. As a result most new fire stations are designed and built on a single level. In some older stations, particularly historic ones built on three levels, fire fighters on the top floor will still use the pole because of the significant delay associated with taking the stairs due to the station's layout. Ensign of the N.Z. Fire Service The New Zealand Fire Service is the national body in New Zealand responsible for Fire Fighting and Emergency Service Response. ...

Other uses

The firemen's pole is also a popular object in other areas, such as strip clubs. Children's playgrounds can have small poles. Popular films including Ghostbusters and Bridget Jones's Diary feature them. They are also major gameplay elements in some video games, including Montezuma's Revenge and the second Commander Keen trilogy. For the book or movie Striptease see Striptease (book) and Striptease (movie) A striptease is a performance, usually a dance, in which the performer gradually removes their clothing for the purposes of sexually arousing the audience, usually performed in nightclubs. ... Combination playground structure for small children; slides, climbers (stairs in this case), playhouse A playground is an area designed for children to play freely. ... Film may refer to: photographic film a motion picture in academics, the study of motion pictures as an art form a thin skin or membrane, or any covering or coating, whether transparent or opaque a thin layer of liquid, either on a solid or liquid surface or free-standing Film... Ghostbusters is a 1984 sci-fi comedy film about three eccentric New York City parapsychologists. ... Bridget Joness Diary is a 2001 film, based on the successful novel, also called Bridget Joness Diary, by Helen Fielding. ... Gameplay includes all player experiences during the interaction with game systems, especially formal games. ... It has been suggested that Multiplayer Video Games be merged into this article or section. ... Screenshot of Colecovision version of Montezumas Revenge Montezumas Revenge is a videogame for the Colecovision, Atari, Apple II, Commodore 64, Sega Master System and ZX Spectrum (as Panama Joe), published in 1984 by Parker Brothers. ... Yorp redirects here. ... The cover of the 2004 DVD release of the modified original Star Wars triology, one of the best known film trilogies For other uses, see Trilogy. ...