Tag: fire alarm boxes

ASHLAND, Wis.—In the days before cell phones and sophisticated electronic alarm systems, residents here dashed to the city's fire alarm boxes to call for help in an emergency. The relics, which sent telegrams to the fire department and triggered a series of bells, are now being sold on eBay to raise money for the department. “If you look online, these items are kind of a novelty and can be pretty pricey for collectors,” department Chief Wayne Chenier told The Ashland Daily Press....

BOSTON - One of America's oldest cities has some pretty old fire alarm boxes as well, and Boston is looking for proposals from vendors on how to upgrade the city's network of 2,200 fire alarm boxes, according to a press release from the city. The alarm boxes still use the same basic telegraph technology as when they were first installed in 1852. The city submitted a technical request for information about “possible designs, services and interactive uses that might be provided through a modern...