rutherford municipal fire box system
The municipal fire alarm box system is a network of fire alarm boxes. The first box system was created in Boston in 1852 and is still used today. In Rutherford, they are both mechanical and digital throughout the Borough of Rutherford.
When a box is pulled, the box will transmit a series of signals to receiving equipment located at the Rutherford Police Department, Fire Alarm Office in Borough Hall and the three firehouses in town. Each box has a unique number and location. Lists of these box numbers and locations appear on the different pieces of receiving equipment. Inside Police Headquarters, the fire alarm office and the Ames Avenue firehouse communications room is an alarm monitoring receiver that translates the box number and displays the location of the alarm. In the each of the three firehouses is a punch register and alarm box board. The punch register looks like a ticker tape (pictured below). When a box is transmitting, the punch register punches a hole in the register tape. The firefighter can then see the pattern and look on the box location board to determine where the box is located (pictured below).
“In 1893, Walter M. Petty became superintendent of fire alarm telegraph for Rutherford. He appears to have remain in that position for the next twenty years or so. As of 1895, Water Petty was in charge of Rutherford’s fire alarms. There were ten fire alarm “boxes and keys” throughout the borough in 1895. By 1928, there were 35 fire alarm signals. Albert Buys, electrician for the Borough, and Robert Leeds were responsible for the alarm signal installed at Union Avenue and Maple Street, which appears to be the first box.” – Borough Historian Rod Leith
Credit: thisisrutherford.com
Rutherford’s Municipal Fire Box System is still functional to this day, and remains the fastest way possible to notify the fire department personnel to respond to a fire/rescue incident in the borough.
To read more about the municipal box system and Bob’s interview, go to https://www.thisisrutherford.com/post/fire-alarm-boxes-in-rutherford