A collection of CFD box cards (a/k/a "Running cards", "assignment cards"). Running cards are about the size of library cards, sometimes larger. These ones all have holes at the bottom and look like they were in a library card catalog type of drawer.

Here, the cards are in chronological order. In the drawer, they would be ordered 23115, 25598, 5244, 6347, 687. That seems counter-intuitive until you remember how boxes come in - "left to right". This order allows you to flip to the correct section of the drawer as the numbers come in.

First line is the first alarm or "box alarm" or "still & box". Second through 5th lines are for the 2nd through 5th alarms, or in Chicagospeak, 2-11 through 5-11. A second alarm for box 25598 would be tapped out something like:

2 5 5 9 8  2 5 5 9 8  2 11

I'm still looking for a list of CFD special signals.

Chicago Fire Department (CFD) Box 25598, 1962. Note that "Quinn's Snorkels" get their own column. I assume "H.P." is some type of high pressure company.

CFD Box 687, 1972. Snorkels are gone, at least as an item on the cards.

CFD Box 5244, 1973

CFD Box 6347, 1978

CFD Box 23115, 1980