Woman Injured While Touring St. Paul Fire Station?

A woman was taken to the hospital earlier this week, after she injured herself touring a St. Paul fire station. And you'll never guess how she did it.

Yes, it was sliding down the firefighter pole. That's right, she hurt herself sliding down that pole firefighters use to quickly get from their living quarters to the garage where their trucks are parked. You can't make this stuff up.

According to this story on TwinCities.com, St. Paul Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard said the woman suffered a "non-life threatening injury" on Wednesday while she was at Fire Station #1, on West Seventh Street in St. Paul.

The story noted, "The fire department is investigating what happened, including whether an employee allowed the woman to use the pole, because 'we don’t usually let people do that,' Zaccard said of visitors trying the poles."

You don't say. Visitor's can't slide down the poles? I'm shocked.

The story also went on to say, "The department’s standard operating procedures say 'every precaution' should be taken during tours 'to prevent accidents or injuries' and 'particular attention must be taken' when visitors are near second-floor sliding poles. When visitors are on the second floor, sliding pole holes are to be 'covered or guarded by a department member,' according to the procedures."

So, while we don't know exactly what happened, it sure seems to me like the woman might have disobeyed if not a 'department member covering or guarding' the pole, then certainly the rules of the tour, which no doubt say you aren't allowed to slide down the pole-- for precisely this reason.

And while I hope she wasn't hurt seriously, I'm thinking you kinda have to take your lumps if you try to slide down the pole on your own-- especially if station policy prohibits such a thing.

I just wonder how long it'll be before she files a lawsuit-- and then how long before station tours, which the story says are a fairly common occurrence, are no longer allowed because of the threat of injury!