A firefighter's pole (also called a sliding pole or fire pole) is a pole on which firefighters slide down to quickly reach the ground floor of a fire station. This allows them to respond to an emergency call faster, as they arrive at the fire engine faster than by using a standard staircase.

Do UK firemen still slide down a pole?

As the county's Chief Fire Officer said: 'Whilst every consideration regarding health and safety was taken into account, the reason a pole was not included was purely due to space restrictions. ' Poles are not banned and firefighters around the country continue to use them.

Do firefighters really sleep at the station?

Firefighters do (sometimes) sleep at the station or firehouse. Stations usually are equipped with sleeping quarters, but depending on how busy the firefighters are, they may not have time to sleep while on duty.