Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
VIENNA (AP) — The fireman's pole is history — at least in Vienna.
Firefighter spokesman Lukas Schauer says the last pole in the Austrian capital was removed recently, marking the end of a spectacular — but potentially dangerous — fixture in fire stations around the world.
Schauer told state broadcaster ORF Wednesday that the poles are no longer needed because new or renovated stations are laid out in a way that they would not result in time saved in getting to a fire.
He says the only remaining pole remains in Vienna's firefighters' museum, adding: "Stairs are safer."
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
