Historical November–December 2019 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
The last article I wrote was about fire alarm boxes.
These red boxes were mounted on yellow post and stood guard on street corners throughout the city.
As I mentioned last time, these pull boxes were a unique way for people to get help. Just pull the hook and within three minutes the fire department would be there answering your emergency. Emergencies ran the gamut of; a person with a flat tire, a stabbing victim, someone who just got robbed, of course fires, but quite often a false alarm.
Now I promised you a couple of stories about these boxes last time – Sooooooo here we go. Box 5175 – Cates and Goodfellow This corner box was near the low rise housing projects just east of Goodfellow.
The crew of Engine #30 would respond to this box several times a shift. Not once did we ever pull up to this box having someone pointing to a building on fire. No.
It was always kids hiding in the bushes across the street.
I would get off the back of the pumper and walk over to the box and close the door. Captain Svetanics would call the dispatcher and report a false alarm.
We would go back to the firehouse only to be back again in an hour or so. One afternoon we responded to yet another false alarm but this time we tried something different.
As the kids were watching from the bushes, Firefighter Jack Thomas got off the engine and walked to the box.
He was carrying a container of cosmetic powder puff and a paint brush.
He closed the door of the pull box and then started dusting the powder on the door as if he was dusting for finger prints. Well the kids could see Jack dusting the box and knew exactly what he was doing.
They watch enough television to know that in short order a police officer would be at their door come to arrest them. That box was quiet for several days until there was a rain storm. Then, once again it was business as usual.
Original photograph caption
Historic fire alarm pull box.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, November–December 2019.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2019_11.pdf, printed page(s) 4; PDF page(s) 3.
