Why did early fire stations have spiral staircases?

In the 1850s, American fire departments transitioned from the hand-pump trucks to the much heavier steam-powered fire engines. These new, more efficient, higher water capacity trucks were pulled by horses. To make things handy, the horses lived on the ground floor of the fire stations, while firefighters stayed and lived on the upper floors.

There was a problem, however; horses could, and did, follow the food aromas and climb the stairs. To keep the horses on the lower levels of the stations, for the safety of all involved, (both horses and firemen) the stations began installing spiral staircases, making it impossible for the horses to saunter on up. The last thing they needed while making dinner or taking a nap, was a horse strolling into the room.

The spiral staircases had a downside, however. When an alarm sounded, the firefighters needed to race downstairs to hitch up the horses before heading out to the fire, but the tight confines and steepness of spiral staircases made rushing difficult.

Hence, in a roundabout way the spiral staircases were eventually responsible for the use of fire poles, which proved to be a much quicker alternative. First installed and used in 1878 by David Kenyon in Chicago, the fire pole allowed his department’s firefighters to arrive on scene sooner. Around 1880, Boston adopted the pole as well, and it became commonplace across the country soon after.