Kensington's Firefighters Take the Stairs

One of the first things that comes to mind when thinking of a fire department is the fire pole. But when you visit Kensington's Volunteer Fire Department you can look all over, but you won't find one.

"There is talk about wanting one. A lot of the firefighters would love to have one installed," said Fire Chief James P. Stanton.

Built in 1946, the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department has had two additions since then, but a fire pole has never been included in the renovations.

"If you spend a lot of time going to new stations, most of them do not have a pole," Stanton said.

A fire pole was first reportedly used as a way to move between the floors of a fire station in 1878, when Chicago resident George Reid of Engine Company 21 slid down a pole that was resting between floors to get from an upper floor to the ground floor that held the equipment. Because of its swiftness, Capt. David Kenyon decided to install a pole permanently. Before then, most stations would use a staircase or sliding chutes.

But now, Stanton said that it is not unusual for a station not to have a sliding pole.

He said that some stations don't have them to prevent injury, and others have bunk rooms on the first floor so they aren't necessary.

Just as a pole in a playground can cause harm, so can the poles used for professional purposes. Friction with the poll can cause burns, and a loss of grip could cause a firefighter to fall.

In a document on workplace health and safety, the National Fire Protection Association includes regulations for fire stations with poles to prevent harm or injury.

"Stations utilizing poles to provide rapid access to lower floors shall ensure that the area around the pole hole is secured by means of a cover, enclosure or other means to prevent someone from accidentally falling through the pole hole," it reads.

Bruce Teele, a national fire protection association staff member, said that as far as he knows the association hasn't made any decisions to suggest removing fire poles or building stations without them.

"They just have to be safe for the people using them," Teele said.

But the potential safety hazards are not what have prevented Kensington's fire station from installing a pole.

"The station, before renovations, had the bunk room on the main floor, so there was no need for a pole," Stanton said. "Now, after some renovations the bunk room is upstairs, but the cost was too high so a pole was not installed at that time."

In lieu of a fire pole, firefighters take the stairs.

Stanton said that there are two sets of stairs one on the north side and another on the south side of the station. Even though the stairs are functional and have not affected response times, some of the firefighters would like to have a fire pole installed, Stanton said.

"We just haven't gotten around to funding the project yet," he said. "The holes in the floor and exactly where you're going to put it takes a lot of consideration."

Stanton explained that because the Kensington station is one of the smaller, older stations in Montgomery County, finding the best place to install a pole is difficult.

"We have looked into it, but by the time you get the structural engineer, make the cuts, purchase and install the pole, we're looking at a $100,000 project roughly," Stanton said.