Glenn Corbett, PE, is the former assistant chief of the Waldwick (NJ) Fire Department, an assistant professor of fire science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, and a technical editor for Fire Engineering. He recently served on the Federal Advisory Committee of the National Construction Safety Team and is a member of the Fire Code Advisory Council for New Jersey. He is the coauthor of the late Francis L. Brannigan’s Building Construction for the Fire Service, 4th Edition, editor of the upcoming Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I and II, and an FDIC Executive Advisory Board member.
Q. What were “hose poles”? Scroll down for the answer!
A. Hose poles were 12-foot long wooden poles with a hook and handle on one end and a leather strap on the other end. With a hose attached to the pole by a leather strap, the pole was passed up the side of a building from floor to floor via a fire escape to reach an upper floor.
