Jasper County Democrat, Volume 8, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 March 1906 — NEW FIRE ALARM SYSTEM. [ARTICLE]

NEW FIRE ALARM SYSTEM.

Fire Chief Montgomery has installed a new electric fire-alarm system in the fire department rooms in the city hall, similar to those in uoe in the larger cities. Under this system the alarm is sent to the telephone central, the sender giving the number of the nearest fire-plug to fire, which number is placed on a card tacked on the front of his ’phone. “Central” immediately rings the number at the fire department and metal disks fall down on the alarm board, showing the number of the fire-plug near which the fire is located. As all the firemen are supposed to be familiar with the location of every fire-plug, those first reaching the engine or hose room can immediatly start for the scene of the fire and later arrivals, who fail to read the fire-alarm whistle —which will be continued as before—will see at a at the board where to go. A big electric gong will also be placed outside the front of the city hall which will ring when an alarm is sounded. The system is no doubt a good thing and will be a great help in enabling the department to respond more quickly to alarms in the future —and the quicker the department is on the scene the more effective work can be done.