Fireman's pole

A fireman's pole (also called a sliding pole, firepole, or tom) is a wooden pole or a metal tube or pipe installed between floors in fire stations, allowing firefighters responding to an alarm to quickly descend to the ground floor faster than by using a standard staircase.

The device was invented in the 1870s by David Kenyon, in Chicago, Illinois, although it is often incorrectly credited to the Boston Fire Department.

Firefighters usually remain above the ground floor of fire stations until they receive a call for help, after which they descend, don their firefighting gear, and board the fire engine as quickly as possible. Until 1878, spiral staircases or sliding chutes were common, but not particularly fast. Fire houses were also equipped with spiral staircases so the horses would not try to climb the stairs into the living quarters. The fireman's pole allows firefighters to move down much more quickly, although it is not suitable for climbing up. The pole connects the ground floor to the ceiling of the floor above through a hole in the ground floor ceiling. To use a pole, a firefighter puts their arms around it, steps into the hole, and uses their legs to control the speed of the descent, somewhat similarly to the technique used for fast-roping.

Capt. David B. Kenyon of Chicago's Engine Company No. 21 (an all-black engine company) worked in a three-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 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 Captain David Kenyon to create a permanent pole.

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