Life in a firehouse. You've got the ever present firefighters, the engines, the chili(of course the chili), and the fire pole(plus a few other things). Let's talk about that fire pole. Such a basic piece of fire technology, so simple in fact that it could have been in use when Marcus Crassus started running around Rome extorting people into paying for his services. However, it's not quite that old. Legend has it hat the first fire pole was used in Boston. I'm here to tell you that legend has it wrong.
To get the story, we need to go back to 1878 Chicago. Seven years after the Great Chicago Fire, the city is still making its comeback, and is 15 years away from hosting the Columbian Exhibition. One day that year, Engine Company #21(an all-black fire unit) was responding to a call when fireman George Reid slid down from the third floor using a pole that was intended to help stock the loft with hay for the horses(this was 1878, how else do you expect the firefighters to get to the fire?). Captain David Kenyon saw the wisdom here and convinced the Chief to make the change. Initially, other fire departments looked at them like they were crazy and even started to ridicule their pole method. That all changed when Company #21 started consistently being the first on the scene to fires in the city, at which point they (I imagine somewhat sheepishly) picked up the trend.
By the early 20th Century, the trend had caught on around the world. Today, fire poles are on the decline, (due to their many risks) with many new fire stations being built ranch-style. However, many historical multi-level houses still have them, a continuation of a 136 year old Chicago tradition.
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