The single-story fire station meant the classic fire pole disappeared. But now that land prices are on the rise, the second story and the fire pole have returned.
Reporter Mary Jane Smetanka talks with Arthur Anthony of McIntire Brass Works, one of the few manufacturers of fire poles left:
Anthony says:
"They went out of favor for a while because, west of the Mississippi, they built all one-story stations. ... Now, roughly 75 percent of our business is west of the Mississippi."
Smetanka reports on a fire station in Richfield, Minnesota that decided to go with the poles when their location required two stories:
"Many cities no longer have room to build sprawling single-story fire stations that don't need poles."
Read the full story: Fire poles are sliding back into popularity
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