Ahose tower is a structure constructed for hangingfirehoses to dry. Hose towers have been features of somefire station designs in Canada,[1] Germany,[2] and the United States.[3] The purpose of such towers was to hang and drycanvas hoses, slowing the deterioration caused if the hoses were not dried thoroughly.[3] Fire stations can also have towers for other purposes: aclock tower orbell tower ordrill 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 inGreendale, 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 inSainte-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.
Media related toHose towers at Wikimedia Commons