Raleigh Fire Department Fire Alarm System

1880 - Metropolitan Hall constructed. Three-story structure includes clock tower with bell that serves as general fire alarm.

1887 - Gamewell electric-telegraph fire alarm system installed with 10 alarm boxes in downtown Raleigh. Activating alarm box causes clock tower bell to chime the box number. Volunteer firefighters respond to the corresponding street address.^1.1 First test alarm sent from Box 42 at corner of Halifax and Edenton Streets.^1.2

1890 - City has 18 alarm boxes. Report for fiscal year lists improvements to the alarm system including six alarm boxes on street corners, an alarm box on North Street at the expense of the Raleigh & Gaston railroad company, a box on Morgan Street at the water tower, a gong at the Capital Hose Company house, a tap bell at home of the Assistant Chief, and six tap bells at the homes of fire department members, installed at their own expense.

1891 - Report for fiscal year lists alarm system as including an "electro-mechanical" gong in each "company house," "tap-bells" in the homes of the Chief, Assistant Chief, Rescue Company foreman, Capital Company foreman, and several fire department members, and an "electro-mechanical" striker on the bell at the Market House.

1896 - Headquarters fire station constructed at 112 West Morgan Street. Building houses equipment of fire alarm system.

1898 - City has 28 alarm boxes. Report for fiscal year lists alarm system as including one bell striker, three gongs in engine houses, one gone in pumping station, one four-circuit repeater, one switchboard, 20 miles of insulated copper wire, and nine miles of bare iron wire.

1899 - Report for fiscal year notes nearly all fire alarm wires have been transferred to new poles of the Inter-State Telephone Company. All poles are 60 to 70 feet high and protect the wires from interference by trees and high-current electric wires.

1903 - Alarm boxes also contain telegraph key for communicating from fire scenes. Signals include "fire under control," "call for reserve steamer," and "call for police."

1906 - City has 36 alarm boxes. Report for fiscal year lists alarm system as including a four-circuit switchboard, 115 storage battery cells, 15 miles of isolated copper wire, 12 miles of No. 8 iron wire, 16 call bells in firemen's houses, three 14-inch bells in fire stations, one bell striker, one bell at Standard Gas and Electric Company plant, one bell at Raleigh Electric Company plant, and one bell at Wake Water Company pump house.

1910 - City has 34 alarm boxes. Report for fiscal year lists alarm system as including one bell striker, three indicators in engine houses, one four-circuit repeater, one four-circuit switchboard, and 16 call bells in houses of officers and members of the department.

Peerless porcelain steel box with quick-action door, ca. 1925

Peerless take-up reel, ca. 1925

Ideal punch register, ca. 1925

Automatic repeater mounted on art metal pedestal with Peerless clear vision case, ca. 1925

1923 - Hill's City Directory for 1923-1924 lists 67 alarm boxes with locations including Box 45 at Raleigh Cotton Mills, Box 42 at State Insane Asylum, Box 321 at Mills Wagon Factory, and Box 322 at Hotel Raleigh. Alarm signals include "fire under control," "direct pressure," "call for hook and ladder," "call for steamer," "call for police," and "military call."

1925 - Purchase of fire alarm equipment authorized on November 6, 1925. The $17,318.50 purchase includes a 12-circuit switchboard, four battery racks, 360 battery cells, a 10-circuit repeater, 35 fire boxes, and 5 recording sets consisting of punching register, take-up reel, and glass case.

1926 - Dedicated alarm house constructed adjacent to West Morgan Street fire station.

1931 - City has 120 alarm boxes. Report from National Board of Fire Underwriters describes alarm system as installed in 1925 and consisting of a 12-circuit switchboard with devices for charging and operating with batteries, and a 10-circuit automatic, non-interfering repeater with contacts for four alarm circuits. Electricity is supplied by 288 lead- and acid-type batteries, in duplicate sets, on glass rods in porcelain conductors, in a well-ventilated room. Each fire station is equipped with a gong and tape register, and automatic light circuit. Gongs are also present in the pumping station and at the homes of the Fire Chief and Assistant Fire Chief. A tower bell at Headquarters is also available, but not used. Nine alarm boxes are affixed to iron lamp posts; the rest are attached to any available pole and usually at or near street intersections.

          Alarm boxes are painted red annually. Each fire station is also connected to the telephone exchange with a single-party line. Box alarms are transmitted four times to the stations. Telephone alarms are typically called into Headquarters, but some telephone alarms are received directly at the stations.

1941 - West Morgan Street station demolished in summer 1941. Headquarters moved to old Station 2 at 412 South Salisbury Street on August 12, 1941. The fire department telephone switchboard is housed in a 12-foot-square room at the South Salisbury Street station. Construction of dedicated building to house the fire alarm system also started on same date.

1942 - Alarm building completed at rear of 220 South Dawson Street in spring 1942, on a lot purchased for a replacement fire station. Located adjacent to the old Union Depot, the $15,000 parcel measured 70 by 236 feet. The $3,500 building includes window frames and other materials salvaged from the old station. Building also has garage for housing the department "emergency truck" and space for traffic signal repair shop. New alarm equipment is installed and includes new switchboard batteries, new battery charging equipment, and a new automatic timing and tape system. The upgrade allows up to 300 alarm boxes. The city currently has 130 alarm boxes.

Automatic storage battery and repeater switchboard mounted on iron pipe frame, ca. 1925

Metal battery rack, ca. 1925

Storage battery, ca. 1925

1953 - New Station 1 opened at 220 South Dawson Street on October 5, 1953. Watch room houses switchboard operator and later dispatcher.^3.1

1955 - Two-way radios installed on all apparatus with base station at Station 1.^3.2

1957 - Two-way radio base stations placed in service at all stations on February 7, 1957. Radio watch started at all stations, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Each watch period is two hours.^3.3

1958 - Fire department begins dispatching select rural fire departments. County-wide, two-way radio network installed with assistance and funds from local office of Civil Defense.^3.4

1965 - City has 274 alarm boxes, each of which is tested at least once a year by the two fire alarm technicians. About once a week, the 100 miles of overhead wires are checked, with tree limbs often having to be cut away from the wires.^3.5 Dispatcher / switchboard operator moved to upstairs of alarm house from Station 1 watch room by June 1965.^3.6

1972 - Fire department dispatching transferred to new Raleigh and Wake County Emergency Communications Center in the spring of 1972. The telephone number 829-1911 is designated as a County-wide emergency number, in anticipation of 911 availability in later decade.

1973 - Last box alarm received on May 14, 1973 at 2116 hours for an incinerator that set off sprinklers at 712 _acker Street. Box 433 transmits the alarm.

1974 - Sale of surplus alarm system equipment authorized by City Council on March 18, 1974, including 250 alarm boxes, 13 gongs, four registers, and one repeater.^3.7

1978 - Alarm house used for storage of uniforms and other clothing items. Also office of Assistant Chief "Buck" King.^3.8

1986 - Data management team moves to upstairs of alarm house. Downstairs of alarm house used for storage of furniture, equipment, records, etc.^3.9

1988 - Data management team moves to former Fire Prevention area in Station 1.^3.10

1989 -Tabletop training simulator moved upstairs in alarm house on November 23, 1989.^3.11

2004 -New windows installed in alarm house.

2005 -Alarm house used as exercise room and storage.

Vac-M arrest, ca. 1925

Motor generator set, ca. 1925

Peerless porcelain steel box with quick-action door, ca. 1925