Towns with Gamewell Systems Tennessee-Texas-Utah

[FAO25]

Houston
Box 4181 - Louisiana & McCowen
Steve Hagy photo.

Three questions.
1. What is 2 SN?
2. What is LT?
3. What happens if the Box comes in during the day? Nobody goes?
 

[Box 2565]

Three questions.
1. What is 2 SN?
2. What is LT?
3. What happens if the Box comes in during the day? Nobody goes?
 

Hi,

1. I can't read the date on the card (photo is from my first, very low quality digital) but my guess is that if this is 1960's vintage that the response could be for Snorkel 2.
2. LT = Light Truck, but it only comes out at night.  
3. Correct, no daytime response.  Houston was a really safe place and no fires occured between 5:45 a.m. and 7:15 p.m.   O.K., back to Planet Earth.  Cincinnati used the same system as Houston.  Daytime boxes in Cincinnati (7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.) received a smaller first alarm assignment than a night box (this occurred whether it was pulled box or a phone call).  In most cases the difference was only by 1 engine, and occasionally there was a 2 engine difference.  Water Tower response was also a day/night option.  In my younger days I loved being in the firehouse at 6:00 p.m. as there was a system test (also one at 7:00 a.m.) and it was the one time that I could count on hearing the bells.  The bell test began with the dispatcher hitting the tones for a fire and announcing that "This is the 6:00 p.m. test - night companies are in effect".  There were 2 running card indexes for each house and at the time of the test you would place a cover over the set in/or out of use.  Responding to a day/night box when you shouldn't have/should have was going to cost the guy on housewatch a day off.  Also, the common radio request for an additional engine company during day responses was "Send me the night engine".

I want to go back to the 60's.

Steve

[magicitybill]

"Send the night engine" Neat!

Is the term "punched out" on a run derived from registers punching out box #s? Anyone?

[FAO25]

Three questions.
1. What is 2 SN?
2. What is LT?
3. What happens if the Box comes in during the day? Nobody goes?
 

Hi,

1. I can't read the date on the card (photo is from my first, very low quality digital) but my guess is that if this is 1960's vintage that the response could be for Snorkel 2.
2. LT = Light Truck, but it only comes out at night.  
3. Correct, no daytime response.  Houston was a really safe place and no fires occured between 5:45 a.m. and 7:15 p.m.   O.K., back to Planet Earth.  Cincinnati used the same system as Houston.  Daytime boxes in Cincinnati (7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.) received a smaller first alarm assignment than a night box (this occurred whether it was pulled box or a phone call).  In most cases the difference was only by 1 engine, and occasionally there was a 2 engine difference.  Water Tower response was also a day/night option.  In my younger days I loved being in the firehouse at 6:00 p.m. as there was a system test (also one at 7:00 a.m.) and it was the one time that I could count on hearing the bells.  The bell test began with the dispatcher hitting the tones for a fire and announcing that "This is the 6:00 p.m. test - night companies are in effect".  There were 2 running card indexes for each house and at the time of the test you would place a cover over the set in/or out of use.  Responding to a day/night box when you shouldn't have/should have was going to cost the guy on housewatch a day off.  Also, the common radio request for an additional engine company during day responses was "Send me the night engine".

I want to go back to the 60's.

Steve

Ahhhhhhh the 60's, I know what you mean. The Bell (or Tapper) System Test is a wonderful thing is it not? In the "old" days it would test the circuits. In the area I work many departments would perform a Radio Test at 0900 and 1800 Hours when the platoons changed. Never know when a tube in one of the radios would go bad. Now we have Vocalarm over phone lines and solid state radio components. No more need for twice daily tests. 

My department recently switched to a new radio system. We are having problems with the batteries holding up. Sooooooooooo after a few year hiatus, yup you guessed it. At 0800 and 2000 Hours we do a broadcast and tell the companies to change their batteries.
The more things change.........

P.S. We still have day and night boxes.