Many of Boston's fire boxes are over a century old and are still operating smoothly

[frankie811]

Many of Boston's fire boxes are over a century old and are still operating smoothly

Boston Fire Department team continuously services the boxes to make sure they are in safe working order

www.wcvb.com

 

[ecps92]

Not just Boston many still exist in numerous cities/towns

- NECRAT

www.necrat.us

Some have gone Wireless others still town copper pairs

Many of Boston's fire boxes are over a century old and are still operating smoothly

Boston Fire Department team continuously services the boxes to make sure they are in safe working order

www.wcvb.com

 

[nikronzo]

3 minutes is such an underwhelming amount of time to give credit to this awesome system

 

[ecps92]

plenty of stories over the years dive more into these devices

Google Search

3 minutes is such an underwhelming amount of time to give credit to this awesome system

 

[jgorman21]

That’s terrific!

 

[W1KNE]

Not just Boston many still exist in numerous cities/towns

- NECRAT

www.necrat.us

Some have gone Wireless others still town copper pairs

And sadly that list, that I have complied is likely out of date. I need to do another update on it soon.

The easy way to find the list is via http://gamewell-list.net

 

[safetypro79]

Great story , thanks for sharing: “ If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” I managed to get a 1912 Gamewell box from Philadelphia years ago from my family of firefighters. Still have it and it works perfect.

John

 

[frankie811]

Great story , thanks for sharing: “ If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” I managed to get a 1912 Gamewell box from Philadelphia years ago from my family of firefighters. Still have it and it works perfect.

John

My problem with these boxes is the maintenance cost involved & the frequency of false alarms. There are no more phone booths around. Highway emergency call boxes are being phased out because of costs & because everyone has a cell phone. For the same reasons, fireboxes should be discontinued. They've outlived their purpose. Oh yeah, how about the wear & tear on fire apparatus? In my city, the majority of false alarms are before & after school, and after clubs close.

 

[safetypro79]

I agree, it’s easy to pull the box, and run away ....being a false alarm, Just to see and hear the fire apparatus response.

some cities still using street boxes in predominantly high false alarm areas most likely limit one engine response other than boxes in schools or hospitals.

 

[frankie811]

some cities still using street boxes in predominantly high false alarm areas most likely limit one engine response other than boxes in schools or hospitals.

I agree. Once in a while, here in Providence, when a box comes in from an area not normally known for false alarms & at an unusual hour, then an engine, ladder & battalion chief will be dispatched. Maybe even a rescue squad. Otherwise, it's always a one-engine response.

 

[gillham]

And sadly that list, that I have complied is likely out of date. I need to do another update on it soon.

The easy way to find the list is via http://gamewell-list.net

I believe Billerica's system is slowly being decommissioned. I'm on the HOA for our community and the unit that's out in public was bagged, and is scheduled to be removed (I asked to keep it ) in favor of another communication path. I'm assuming wireless.

 

[W1KNE]

I believe Billerica's system is slowly being decommissioned. I'm on the HOA for our community and the unit that's out in public was bagged, and is scheduled to be removed (I asked to keep it ) in favor of another communication path. I'm assuming wireless.

Billerica's system has been long long gone now. I have a punch register and two boxes from there. I am surprised they didn't remove it already.

 

[ecps92]

I [IMHO] hear more false alarms from the electronic panels within an Apartment or Office complex than the "Pull n Run" of a street box

I agree, it’s easy to pull the box, and run away ....being a false alarm, Just to see and hear the fire apparatus response.

some cities still using street boxes in predominantly high false alarm areas most likely limit one engine response other than boxes in schools or hospitals.

 

[cg]

In a country where people are increasingly relying on cellphones only, to have a system that is fully under the control of the city is not a bad idea. Many cell sites do not have adequate back up power, if any at all. Cell site or 911 outages are not uncommon.

 

[W1KNE]

My problem with these boxes is the maintenance cost involved & the frequency of false alarms. There are no more phone booths around. Highway emergency call boxes are being phased out because of costs & because everyone has a cell phone. For the same reasons, fireboxes should be discontinued. They've outlived their purpose. Oh yeah, how about the wear & tear on fire apparatus? In my city, the majority of false alarms are before & after school, and after clubs close.

I respectfully disagree with this. The maintenance cost for these systems are still one of the lowest expenses a fire department can have, and in this day and age, the actual number of street side false alarms are at record lows. With kids being distracted by their phones these days, the lure of "pulling boxes" is just not like it used to be. And they do still serve a purpose. People who can't get access to a phone quickly, or have reliable phone service, use them. There have been a number of incidents within the last two years were people pulled the boxes for emergencies.
There's no language barrier, no reliance on RF signals. In my city the fire department is responding to people being locked out of their cars. I've heard others doing this too. So if the fire department is becoming AAA, then the argument of "wear and tear" on the apparatus is null and void.

 

[gillham]

I respectfully disagree with this. The maintenance cost for these systems are still one of the lowest expenses a fire department can have, and in this day and age, the actual number of street side false alarms are at record lows. With kids being distracted by their phones these days, the lure of "pulling boxes" is just not like it used to be. And they do still serve a purpose. People who can't get access to a phone quickly, or have reliable phone service, use them. There have been a number of incidents within the last two years were people pulled the boxes for emergencies.
There's no language barrier, no reliance on RF signals. In my city the fire department is responding to people being locked out of their cars. I've heard others doing this too. So if the fire department is becoming AAA, then the argument of "wear and tear" on the apparatus is null and void.

Still 'love' when that Boston box was pulled during a power outage. IIRC on some significant anniversary of the system too.

 

[izzyj4]

And sadly that list, that I have complied is likely out of date. I need to do another update on it soon.

The easy way to find the list is via http://gamewell-list.net

Ansonia, Derby and Middletown, CT boxes are all gone.

 

[Thayne]

When I was a kid in Denver in the mid-50's they used those red hard wired pull boxes & one time I was walking to school when one got pulled.. The Fire dept lineman that came to reset it ended up being a lifelong friend although he was about 25 years older than me. He even explained how it all worked even down to the fail safe way it was wired so it would detect opens or grounds etc, because of that I wanted get a job like his and I ended up being a master electrician for many years before I retired--All because of a nice guy that answered my questions.