Chapter 4 - RECEIVING THE ALARM

CHAPTER 4

RECEIVING THE ALARM

The methods by which alarms are received have evolved over the years from a very primitive means to more sophisticated electronic devices in use today. In the larger more modern departments the computer is playing a major role in deploying men and equipment to the scene of emergencies.

A large metal church bell hung near the entrance of No. 1 Firehouse. When an alarm was received the man on watch pulled the rope to sound the alarm. On duty personnel ran to the engine room to verify the location before boarding the equipment. This was the earliest known means of alarm equipment in the ORFD. It was said the bell was found in a field. The location of this bell has been unknown for many years.

As the city was emerging from nothingness so was the fire department. Apparently expense was not a consideration when the Federal Government planned the city. Two of the most modern emergency reporting systems known at that time were installed in Oak Ridge . One was the emergency telephone system. Telephones were located inside shelters on the walls of buildings and utility poles. These telephones were identified for emergency use only. When you picked up the receiver you were in contact with the dispatcher and you reported the emergency. These were located throughout the city, both in commercial and residential districts. These were taken out of service before the Federal Government released the city.

The other was the Gamewell Alarm System. This was an automatic alarm system that monitors sprinkler systems and detection devices and relays this information to a central panel. It also had street boxes where a simple pull of the handle relayed an alarm. Every firehouse as well as the dispatcher had a receiver. The receiver indicated the location of the pulled alarm box by punching holes on a tape similar to a telegraph system. At one time all the sprinkler systems located in the major buildings in the city were monitored by the Gamewell System. One problem with the system was false alarms. The false alarms could be accidental when the water pressure on the sprinkler system surged or fell. The real problem developed when persons maliciously pulled the alarms at the exterior boxes. One interesting note was that someone in possession of a key could punch out an alarm on the telegraph key located inside. The main reason the system was discontinued was the cost of maintenance. As the system aged the cost of maintenance became prohibitive. Some local fire buffs purchased the street boxes from the city when they were sold as salvage.

Few firefighters sleep soundly while on duty. This is a trait that develops over a period of time. Allow me to relate to you younger tads how easy you have it compared to some ways that used to be in the old days. Early on when the dispatcher threw the switch to sound the alarm tone a series of events occurred at the firehouses. First 200 watt electric light bulbs came on in the bedrooms. Immediately thereafter a bell about the size of a wheelbarrow rim sounded loud enough to wake the dead. I have observed men that were in a sound sleep when this tone sounded.

Their entire body would rise off the bed six to twelve inches while remaining in a prone position. The person may awaken standing in the middle of the room. Talk about your stress factor. The dispatcher would then give the location over the radio.

One alarm system has to be mentioned. This was the electrowriter system. The electrowriter was an electronic device that allowed the dispatcher to take pen in hand and write the alarm location in his handwriting. This message was transmitted to the firehouses through the telephone lines. There was many problems with this system. First, the dispatchers hated it. They did not have the time to activate and send the message when they were covered up with emergency messages. A vocal alarm was sent out over the radio before operating the electrowriter. The order from headquarters was to wait for confirmation on the electrowriter before leaving. Often the dispatcher was delayed in operating the machine. Imagine standing in the office waiting for this message while having the needed information for a response. This did not soothe the temperament of a seasoned firefighter. It was difficult to use the pen because it was wired electronically and cumbersome. At the houses it was nearly impossible to read. Some dispatchers had difficulty writing legibly. Some firefighters had trouble reading legibly. The machine was always running out of ink. It was a messy difficult job replacing the ink supply when needed and when available.

After numerous complaints resulted in no action being taken one of the firefighters invited Mayor Bissell down to the firehouse for coffee. He told the mayor of the problems with the system. He also showed him examples of past dispatch notices. The equipment was removed shortly thereafter. It was agreed no one liked the system.

The spider phone was an instrument that was red in color not unlike the phone in the White House and the Kremlin. Before the days of telephone deregulation when life was simpler we had a closed telephone system that connected the dispatcher, headquarters, and all the firehouses. It was similar to the modern conference call concept. All parties could talk together. One of the deputy chiefs delighted in keeping the company officers on the phones for two or more hours at the beginning of each shift. He would later raise cain because nothing had been accomplished that morning. This system was used as a method of dispatching alarms for a period of time.

The miniature alarm response panel or MARP as it is known replaced the Gamewell Alarm System . The MARP monitors the sprinkler systems and private alarms throughout the city. It transmits through the public telephone lines to the dispatch panel.

Two way radios are a wonderful way of communication. Prior to moving into the new stations, Nos. 1 and 2, each company had a two way radio on each piece of equipment. Each company was assigned one handi-talkie. It was made by RCA and was of early WW 2 vintage. It was comparable in size to two 9" concrete blocks and weighed about the same. It had a shoulder strap for carrying. After about two hours of commercial inspection while carrying the device your neck felt like it was broken.

The strap often pressed the button switch on the mike and you would commence broadcasting without your knowledge. When this occurred you could not be contacted because all receivers were tied up. The operator remained near the engine at all times, If the transmission awoke him and if he did not enjoy the conversations being transmitted or if he did not want the officer and firefighter conversations to be transmitted he would locate the radio and tell them of the problem.

Harry Lovelace was the operator on No. 2 Engine one hot summer day. The company was on home inspection on a side street off Kentucky Ave. The handi-talkie assigned to Co. 2 was out of service for repair and the company was relying on the radio on the engine for communication with the dispatcher. Harry laid back and got comfortable and nodded off to sleep. He accidentally hit the radio switch with his knee and turned the radio off. We failed to receive an alarm and did not respond to the dispatcher. It took 2 patrol cars about thirty minutes to find us. It took the company about two years to live down the embarrassment.

Other methods of receiving alarms are called runners, people who come to the firehouse to report an emergency. The receiver of the alarm can be in quite a dilemma. He must first get the correct information from an excited individual. This can be quite difficult. Second he must notify all personnel. Then he must contact the dispatcher and repeat the information so a dispatch can be made. While doing this everyone else has already dressed out in bunkers and is sitting in the engine waiting for you. Quite frustrating. Another situation that is as bad is when you see an emergency occur. The same procedure must be followed.

On one occasion we were sitting in the dining room at Station 1. We heard a very loud noise. We immediately ran to the window and saw a VW beetle with flames rising high in the air from the front compartment containing the fuel tank. One person was observed slumped in the driver's seat. Bob Logan and Allen Barker ran to the engine and dressed in their bunkers. I had to radio the dispatcher as I dressed. As I moved into the engine bay from the office I saw a Ford station wagon in the middle of the road just east of the station. There appeared to be two or more people in the station wagon. We laid a discharge line. Now it is crunch time. Do we first attempt to extinguish the fire or extricate the victim? Remember this is gasoline burning and the flames are rising and the heat is intense. Barker takes the nozzle and stands to the side of the vehicle pushing the fire away from the passenger compartment. I open the door. The driver is unresponsive. Thank goodness he is the only person in the vehicle.

A quick observation reveals his left foot is pinned in the wreckage. Fortunately we were able to extinguish the fire before it moved through the firewall. By now, Logan who was operating the pump was able to check the occupants of the station wagon. Neither of them was injured seriously. They had stopped to make a left turn onto Salem Rd. The VW rear ended them and they then traveled about 200 yards down the Turnpike. He had moved forward about 100 yards after the impact. An MD who happened upon the scene stopped and examined the victim before we attempted to remove him from the vehicle. He gave the OK to move him. By the time the extrication was completed the ambulance had arrived.

He was taken to the Methodist Medical Center Emergency Room. They determined the major injuries were to his knees. He had jammed them on impact. Another problem was he was intoxicated. He was raising holy hell demanding to be released. The investigating officer took him to jail. About two hours later, after he sobered up, he was glad to be taken back to the ER for medication. Some situations require quicker decisions than we would desire to make but a choice is not available. You do what you must.

I remember a couple of times the runner delivered the signal 2 to the firehouse. At No.2 Station at Jackson Sq. a runner delivered a wastebasket from the rear of The Playhouse that had paper burning in it. We extinguished it with a pan of water from the kitchen sink. Other times vehicles have pulled onto the pad and requested we extinguish a fire in the vehicle. Medical emergencies have come to the firehouse for evaluation or treatment. Others have called in an alarm over the private telephone. This causes a delay because we then have to relay the information to the dispatcher. Frequently a member of the ORFD happens upon the scene of an accident or other emergency. They are well trained confident people ready to take charge and do what is necessary to handle most any situation. Many times off-duty personnel have been called to respond to emergencies from their homes. ORFD members, like the revolutionary minutemen, are always on the alert ready to answer the call.

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