Firefighters maintain the tradition of “drop poles”

Firefighters using one of the last working fire poles at a Nottinghamshire fire station say they are proud to be keeping part of the tradition alive.

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Arnold Fire Station is the last station in the county to still use this traditional feature.

Station crew members say it is one of the most popular attractions during local events and visits.

They hope to keep it in active use for as long as possible.

Firefighter Simon Barnes said he still remembers the feeling of climbing down a fireman’s pole for the first time in his life.

“It’s your dream, it’s what you think about as a child,” he said.

“You open that door and you think, ‘Oh, that’s a little too high,’ but once you do, you’re out and away.”

Barnes said the pole remains a major attraction, especially among children.

“It’s a big part of the fire department now, the social side of it,” he said.

“We have a lot of school visits – boys’ brigades, girls’ brigades, scout clubs, whoever (and) the first thing they see is the pole falling.

“It will be sad if that happens, but I hope it doesn’t.”

Although the Mansfield Fire Station also has a pole, the Arnold Station is the last one in continuous use.

Conor Bowskil stated that after joining the station, Arnold learned that the pole would be an important part of his job.

“Some stations have been modernised so they are more of a community station, (and) some are single-story so there is no need for a pole drop,” he said.

“From childhood you always associate the fire station with the pole, so going down there for the first time is definitely exciting.”

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