The Melrose Messenger

Fire Alarm Call Boxes

Written and Photographed by Nancy Clover

In the past 2 weeks, Melrose has experienced a nor’easter, snow, power outages, felt tremors from an earthquake, and a solar eclipse! These phenomenons started me thinking about what happens if there is widespread cell phone outages. How do you call the fire department?

Rely on Morse code? Yes – the red fire alarm call boxes around town will summon the fire department using a tapping out pulse electrical signal, similar to Morse code. These signals are sent directly to the fire department.

To activate the alarm, you pull down the hook and a spring-loaded wheel sends the signal. These life saving boxes are found throughout Melrose. Melrose has about 350 of these indispensable boxes. It makes sense to know where the one is located closest to where you live and work.

The fire call boxes were invented in Boston in 1852 and are still a vital form of communication almost 2 centuries later.

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Originally Published April 9th, 2024

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