Boston still has this system working today, even though there has been attempts to dismantle the fire bio system, stating less boxes are pull and people use hard lines or cell phones. BFD response to this as stated in some comments, next to nothing to run and you can have all electrical power go dead in the city. And if you pull a box in need, it will work.
Cool video! Fircrest School in Shoreline, WA (used to be a Navy hospital in WWII) had an old Gamewell system with keywound everything IIRC. I distinctly remember the punch register being keywound as well. That setup was ANCIENT!
there are depts in my county that still blow the box numbers others shifted to a coded system like 3 rounds of 5 for a general alarm and 3 rounds of 3 for minor
Threw out town are fire boxes on telephone poles. On some buildings the fire alarm is also connected to a fire box, when the building fire alarm goes off, it transmits the signal threw city owned wires back to the fire alarm office and to the police station to dispatch the FD.
As soon as the box starts ringing out an alarm, the dispatch center has it and in dispatching the FD. It is the fastest and most reliably way to transmit an alarm. That is as long as the system is in good working order.
The system in the video has 6 city circuits that receive alarms and two alarm circuits that transmits to the PD/ dispatch center and the bells in the fire houses. The Gamewell Diaphone horns have been taken out of services. There are 64 street boxes and 21 master boxes. We are adding master boxes all the time. We use either Digitize or City Master Box boxes now. Once it is installed at the building owners expense the monitoring is free.
It is 150 years old technology coupled with 21 century technology. The form four in the video, the big gray thing with all the lights flashing was taken out of services on 3-24-08 and replaced with a modern Digitize form four that was used from Montclare FD. It coast us almost nothing. The old form four was having problems with the relays hanging up.
This system is top notch and costs almost nothing to keep going as long as you keep up with the trees and the other utilities that we share the poles with.
Listen to the bells. 5 then 6 then 4. You have a board at the station, look for Box 564 and see what the address is. Respond to that location and see what the emergency is. Most stations have a box assignment. Some just dump the house. It could be a hang nail or a job. The element of surprise.
many volunteer fire depts do have the whole dept respond because you dont know if any will get out the call I dont know what the Rutherford fire dept does for general and minor alarms
isnt that the circut system thats grey with the lights flashing and then the box when pulled is tied in with the firehouses and this must be a type b system because they cannot stop the box from sounding out..right
Yes, whatever comes over a circuit is repeated to all the fire houses and police station. It is a volunteer department so their is not anyone in the fire houses at night and the fire alarm office is not staffed. The PD do the dispatching.
It is in Boro. Hall, and there is a bell ringing. It is also ringing in the police station. There is no bells in the schools. We monitir fire alarms in the schools with the Gamewell system.
the fire museum in harrisburg, PA has a gamewell room, with all the old circa 1900s gamewell switch gear on three of the four walls. they have two tape punch registers and the dispatcher's desk, all preserved as original in this museum, and the gamewell equipment still works.
This system is still in services. The video was taken about a month ago. There was no test key in. That is why the form four, register and bell were all going. I just notified the FD that it was a test.
Boston still has this system working today, even though there has been attempts to dismantle the fire bio system, stating less boxes are pull and people use hard lines or cell phones. BFD response to this as stated in some comments, next to nothing to run and you can have all electrical power go dead in the city. And if you pull a box in need, it will work.
Michaelbos 1 year ago
Wow! Those are loud relays! Nice bells though.
suzzex 2 years ago
Cool video! Fircrest School in Shoreline, WA (used to be a Navy hospital in WWII) had an old Gamewell system with keywound everything IIRC. I distinctly remember the punch register being keywound as well. That setup was ANCIENT!
NipkowDisk 3 years ago
i dont understand what the point of this system is. please explain it?
FireLiteAlarms 3 years ago
I believe when the fire dept gets a call the fire horn blows the street box number out.
Heyde1979 3 years ago
yeah.
xthemwordx 2 years ago
there are depts in my county that still blow the box numbers others shifted to a coded system like 3 rounds of 5 for a general alarm and 3 rounds of 3 for minor
Heyde1979 2 years ago
Threw out town are fire boxes on telephone poles. On some buildings the fire alarm is also connected to a fire box, when the building fire alarm goes off, it transmits the signal threw city owned wires back to the fire alarm office and to the police station to dispatch the FD.
jcityfire 3 years ago
As soon as the box starts ringing out an alarm, the dispatch center has it and in dispatching the FD. It is the fastest and most reliably way to transmit an alarm. That is as long as the system is in good working order.
jcityfire 3 years ago
The system in the video has 6 city circuits that receive alarms and two alarm circuits that transmits to the PD/ dispatch center and the bells in the fire houses. The Gamewell Diaphone horns have been taken out of services. There are 64 street boxes and 21 master boxes. We are adding master boxes all the time. We use either Digitize or City Master Box boxes now. Once it is installed at the building owners expense the monitoring is free.
jcityfire 3 years ago
It is 150 years old technology coupled with 21 century technology. The form four in the video, the big gray thing with all the lights flashing was taken out of services on 3-24-08 and replaced with a modern Digitize form four that was used from Montclare FD. It coast us almost nothing. The old form four was having problems with the relays hanging up.
jcityfire 3 years ago
This system is top notch and costs almost nothing to keep going as long as you keep up with the trees and the other utilities that we share the poles with.
jcityfire 3 years ago
Listen to the bells. 5 then 6 then 4. You have a board at the station, look for Box 564 and see what the address is. Respond to that location and see what the emergency is. Most stations have a box assignment. Some just dump the house. It could be a hang nail or a job. The element of surprise.
3genff 3 years ago
many volunteer fire depts do have the whole dept respond because you dont know if any will get out the call I dont know what the Rutherford fire dept does for general and minor alarms
Heyde1979 2 years ago
isnt that the circut system thats grey with the lights flashing and then the box when pulled is tied in with the firehouses and this must be a type b system because they cannot stop the box from sounding out..right
edreed24 4 years ago
Yes, whatever comes over a circuit is repeated to all the fire houses and police station. It is a volunteer department so their is not anyone in the fire houses at night and the fire alarm office is not staffed. The PD do the dispatching.
jcityfire 4 years ago
so when you pulled that the fire bells wasnt going off at the city hall and school was it?
cmarlow84 4 years ago
It is in Boro. Hall, and there is a bell ringing. It is also ringing in the police station. There is no bells in the schools. We monitir fire alarms in the schools with the Gamewell system.
jcityfire 4 years ago
so what does that big grey machine on the right do?
I noticed the lights are flashing on and off as the bells chime?
and what is that connected too?
Im guessing EACH LIGHT is a pullstation?
cmarlow84 4 years ago
564
edreed24 4 years ago
the fire museum in harrisburg, PA has a gamewell room, with all the old circa 1900s gamewell switch gear on three of the four walls. they have two tape punch registers and the dispatcher's desk, all preserved as original in this museum, and the gamewell equipment still works.
blackmaxima 4 years ago
Is this gamewell actively used?. If so when you did this demo, I'm sure you had the test plug in. Still a cool video.
firefightercfdny 4 years ago
This system is still in services. The video was taken about a month ago. There was no test key in. That is why the form four, register and bell were all going. I just notified the FD that it was a test.
jcityfire 4 years ago
I want that office!
Quickcall 4 years ago
Is that box 564
backgam 4 years ago
yes it is.
jcityfire 4 years ago
So this is the place where a town monitors it's old school fire alarms?
trucksoner 4 years ago