Firemen are all fired up about a fire station that was built without a pole.

Officials said the pole would cause more injuries than it was worth, and in its place firemen will have to go down three flights of stairs to reach their trucks.

Yet, according to The Telegraph, firefighters said they were "flabbergasted" that the Ł2.4 million ($45 million) station, in Greenbank, Plymouth, had abandoned the tradition.

"It is ludicrous," said Ken Mulville, the station officer. "It takes about a second and a half to slide down the pole, as opposed to 15 or 20 seconds to run down two flights of stairs. Seconds can be critical when responding to a 999 call."

Bernard Hughes, the chairman of Devon Fire and Rescue Authority, says, "There have been a number of injuries when firefighters have slipped on poles and damaged their ankles and knees when they hit the floor."