A hose tower is a structure constructed for hanging firehoses to dry. Hose towers have been features of some fire station designs in Canada, [1] Germany, [2] and the United States. [3] The purpose of such towers was to hang and dry canvas hoses, slowing the deterioration caused if the hoses were not dried thoroughly. [3] Fire stations can also have towers for other purposes: a clock tower or bell tower or drill tower for firemen to practice. In Australia, especially, some fire stations had watch towers for looking for smoke, presumably in relatively flat areas and in spread out low towns where an extra story or two of elevation provided for an extremely wide range of vision, perhaps 360 degrees. Before radio/telephone communications, in the U.S. and Australia and elsewhere, fire lookout towers were also sited on mountain tops or other remote locations with wide views, later, when radio/telephone communications were possible.
Hose towers are features of many fire stations, perhaps especially in the U.S.
A hose tower and annex building is a feature of a National Historic Landmark district in Greendale, Wisconsin. [4]
In 2001, a campaign was undertaken to restore the only remaining hose tower in Oklahoma. [3]
In 2016, a hose tower mounted on top of the city hall in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, was demolished after much public debate.
In Australia there are examples of fire-hose drying poles, where hoses are drawn by rope pulley up an outdoor pole, in lieu of an entire hose tower structure.
A fire lookout is a person assigned the duty to look for fire from atop a building known as a fire lookout tower. These towers are used in remote areas, normally on mountain tops with high elevation and a good view of the surrounding terrain, to spot smoke caused by a wildfire.
Signal Hill is a hill which overlooks the harbour and city of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The majority of Signal Hill, including Cabot Tower, is designated a National Historic Site. The highest point, Ladies' Lookout, is 167 m (548 ft) high.
Krnov is a town in Bruntál District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants.
A fire station is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment, fire hoses and other specialized equipment. Fire stations frequently contain working and living space for the firefighters and support staff.
This is a glossary of firefighting equipment.
The No. 8 Hose Station is a small fire hall that is a Toronto landmark. It is located on College Street at Bellevue and marks the northern end of Kensington Market and serves the Chinatown area at Spadina and Dundas.
Radio masts and towers are typically tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the tallest human-made structures. Masts are often named after the broadcasting organizations that originally built them or currently use them.
A fire lookout tower, fire tower, or lookout tower is a tower that provides housing and protection for a person known as a "fire lookout", whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness. It is a small building, usually on the summit of a mountain or other high vantage point to maximize viewing distance and range, known as view shed. From this vantage point the fire lookout can see smoke that may develop, determine the location by using a device known as an Osborne Fire Finder, and call for wildfire suppression crews. Lookouts also report weather changes and plot the location of lightning strikes during storms. The location of the strike is monitored for a period of days afterwards, in case of ignition.
A drill tower is a tower and training facility for firefighters. It is usually built within a fire station facility for routine exercises and training. The drill tower is typically a multi-level structure simulating high-rise buildings. Heights vary by location.
The Watchman Lookout Station No. 168 is one of two fire lookout towers in Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon. For many years, National Park Service personnel used the lookout to watch for wildfires during the summer months. It is also a common hiking destination because of its views of Crater Lake and the surrounding area. The building is unusual because it serves the dual purpose of fire lookout and museum. The Watchman Lookout Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Red Hill Fire Observation Station consists of a fire lookout tower, cabin and pit privy located on the summit of Red Hill, a 2,990-foot (910 m) Catskill Mountain peak in Denning, New York, United States. It is the southernmost fire tower in the Catskill Park.
The Polebridge to Numa Ridge Phoneline is a historic communications path in Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. The line was the last remaining single-line crank telephone network in the American West. The remaining line, insulators, and terminals are instructive of early communication technology. The system includes the remains of a single strand system using an earth ground. Wire was strung through ceramic insulators mounted on trees. Phone poles still stand in the meadow south of Kishenehn Ranger Station, and a phone remains in place at Bowman Lake.
The Hose Station No. 1 is a historic building located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1999. In 2019 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Motor Row and Industrial Historic District.
The Central Fire Station is located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States and serves as the headquarters of the Davenport Fire Department, as well as the downtown fire station. Built from 1901 to 1902, the original building is the oldest active fire station west of the Mississippi River. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District.
Hose Station No. 6 is located in a residential neighborhood in the West End of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983. It is one of two former fire stations in the West End that are still in existence. The other one is Hose Station No. 7.
Hose Station No. 4 is located in the Village of East Davenport in Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is a contributing property of the Davenport Village Historic District that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980. The fire station was individually listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1993. It is one of two old fire stations on the east side of the city that are still in existence. The other one is Hose Station No. 3. The building sits adjacent to Lindsay Park and now houses the International Fire Museum.
Buford Tower is a tower standing along the north shore of Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin, Texas. The structure was originally built in 1930 as a drill tower for the Austin Fire Department, but it now serves as a bell tower and landmark. Named after fire department Captain James L. Buford, the structure has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2016.
Radar Hill is a heritage-listed radar station at Gulf Developmental Road, Mount Surprise, Shire of Etheridge, Queensland, Australia. It was built about August 1943 by the Allied Works Council. It is also known as No. 53 RDF Station. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 12 July 2005.
The Sauk City Fire Station, begun in 1862, housed the city's early fire department, and served as a center of the community. Today it is one of the oldest fire stations in Wisconsin. It looks much like it did in 1870 - a gable-roofed building with a hose-drying tower. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.