TELECOM Emergency Call Boxes still in use

TELECOM Emergency Call Boxes still in use
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Subject Author Date
TELECOM Emergency Call Boxes still in use hancock4 11-13-2007
Posted by on November 13, 2007, 11:16 am
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At one time all cities had emergency fire boxes on major
streetcorners. Someone in need of help would pull a lever in the box,
which would send a coded signal to the dispatcher and fire station
indicating the location. (Pulling the lever activated a clockwork in
the box which propelled a tape with punchings to give it a code.)

Many cities have removed those boxes because they were expensive to
maintain and obsolete in a day with universal home telephone service
and cell phones. However, some cities have found them to be still
useful and keep them in service. They have the advtg of being very
reliable which cell phones are not, the person does not need to speak
English, and give the exact location which might not be known.

An article in the NYT describes this. See:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/11alarmsnj.html?ref=nyregionspecial2

[public replies, please]


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Posted by T on November 13, 2007, 3:24 pm
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hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com says...
> At one time all cities had emergency fire boxes on major
> streetcorners. Someone in need of help would pull a lever in the box,
> which would send a coded signal to the dispatcher and fire station
> indicating the location. (Pulling the lever activated a clockwork in
> the box which propelled a tape with punchings to give it a code.)
>
> Many cities have removed those boxes because they were expensive to
> maintain and obsolete in a day with universal home telephone service
> and cell phones. However, some cities have found them to be still
> useful and keep them in service. They have the advtg of being very
> reliable which cell phones are not, the person does not need to speak
> English, and give the exact location which might not be known.
>
> An article in the NYT describes this. See:
>
>
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/11alarmsnj.html?ref=nyregionspecial2
>
> [public replies, please]
>
>

There was an episode of the British series "The I.T. Crowd" where the
I.T. office had a fire. Moss emailed emergency services.

Hell, they should be on IM too.


Posted by Rich Piehl on November 13, 2007, 4:17 pm
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hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:
> At one time all cities had emergency fire boxes on major
> streetcorners. Someone in need of help would pull a lever in the box,
> which would send a coded signal to the dispatcher and fire station
> indicating the location. (Pulling the lever activated a clockwork in
> the box which propelled a tape with punchings to give it a code.)
>
> Many cities have removed those boxes because they were expensive to
> maintain and obsolete in a day with universal home telephone service
> and cell phones. However, some cities have found them to be still
> useful and keep them in service. They have the advtg of being very
> reliable which cell phones are not, the person does not need to speak
> English, and give the exact location which might not be known.
>
> An article in the NYT describes this. See:
>
>
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/11alarmsnj.html?ref=nyregionspecial2
>
> [public replies, please]
>

In grade school we had one of the call boxes just outside the school.
We were instructed when and how to use it and when not to. But the more
fascinating part is when we got the tour of the local fire house and saw
the other end of the system. I'm sure it wasn't thing big, but as an 8
year old the wall where the alarm indicators were located seemed 20 feet
tall and just and fully covered.

Take care,
Rich

God bless the USA

--
That's one of the problems in this country
The nuts don't know they're nuts.

--Jeff Foxworthy

Posted by on November 13, 2007, 4:57 pm
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On Nov 13, 4:17 pm, Rich Piehl

> In grade school we had one of the call boxes just outside the school.
> We were instructed when and how to use it and when not to. But the more
> fascinating part is when we got the tour of the local fire house and saw
> the other end of the system. I'm sure it wasn't thing big, but as an 8
> year old the wall where the alarm indicators were located seemed 20 feet
> tall and just and fully covered.

In 1972 I had a tour of the city's fire alarm dispatcher. Almost all
calls came by callbox, only a few by phone. No one knew the listed
number, everybody just dialed zero and asked for the fire or police
dept, as the phone company instructed people to do. (The police dept
came out with an easy to remember 7 digit number which was used for a
while).

The callbox signals caused a very loud harsh buzzer to sound for each
dot. A call came in it seemed fairly regularly. The dispatcher had a
manual switchboard in which they called the appropriate fire house,
but apparently they had a parallel of the box for their district and
knew it already. Somehow the police were notified too as they
responded to all fire calls.

As kids, we were instructed to wait at the callbox until the fire
truck arrived so we could direct it to the particular house.

Even years ago false alarms were a major problem.

One of the features of the original 911 (and presumably if someone
dialed zero) was that the truck would be seized until the dispatcher
released it. This way if the caller hung up they could call back to
confirm.

In the 1960s some cities replaced telegraph call boxes with
telephones, that is, the box had a phone inside which was answered by
the dispatcher. NYC put intercoms on its call box stands which I
think are still available for use. Many college have "blue light"
stands with an emergency intercom available.


The city had an enormous private communications network thorughout the
city for fire alarms and voice traffic between key city agencies such
as police stations. Police stations would have Bell sets and an old
AE set too.


Posted by T on November 13, 2007, 7:24 pm
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hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com says...
> On Nov 13, 4:17 pm, Rich Piehl
>
> > In grade school we had one of the call boxes just outside the school.
> > We were instructed when and how to use it and when not to. But the more
> > fascinating part is when we got the tour of the local fire house and saw
> > the other end of the system. I'm sure it wasn't thing big, but as an 8
> > year old the wall where the alarm indicators were located seemed 20 feet
> > tall and just and fully covered.
>
> In 1972 I had a tour of the city's fire alarm dispatcher. Almost all
> calls came by callbox, only a few by phone. No one knew the listed
> number, everybody just dialed zero and asked for the fire or police
> dept, as the phone company instructed people to do. (The police dept
> came out with an easy to remember 7 digit number which was used for a
> while).

The Providence, RI police department still has 401-272-1111 as an
emergency number. But we're all E-911 now so nobody really dials the
seven digit number.

> One of the features of the original 911 (and presumably if someone
> dialed zero) was that the truck would be seized until the dispatcher
> released it. This way if the caller hung up they could call back to
> confirm.

Yep, they can seize the trunk and hold up the line if need be.

> In the 1960s some cities replaced telegraph call boxes with
> telephones, that is, the box had a phone inside which was answered by
> the dispatcher. NYC put intercoms on its call box stands which I
> think are still available for use. Many college have "blue light"
> stands with an emergency intercom available.
>
>
> The city had an enormous private communications network thorughout the
> city for fire alarms and voice traffic between key city agencies such
> as police stations. Police stations would have Bell sets and an old
> AE set too.

Now it's all T1's etc. When I worked for the RISOS (Sec of State) we had
T1's and fractional T1's that tied our phone system together among 3
locations.


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other useful resources:
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Telecommunications Industry Association
Electronic and Software Security Products and Services
International Telecommunication Union

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