Subject: NY Fire Dept. Alarms
From: Engine270@aol.com
Date: 1995/08/06
sender: owner-FIRE-L@cornell.edu
reply-to: FIRE-L@cornell.edu
newsgroups: bit.listserv.fire-l

On June 6, 1995, LOUMONLINO commented on why New York City does not call
multiple alarms like the World Trade Center explosion or the Brooklyn Navy
Yard fire last week as seven, eight or nine alarms etc. as some other
communities do.

The confusion started in the 1970's when FDNY went to a Computer Assisted
Dispatch (CAD) system. This system was designed on the "old assignment card"
structure that was in use for many years prior when bells were the primary
source for alarm notifications in fire houses.

On the top of each card was the borough (New York has 5 Bronx, Brooklyn,
Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island) the box number and it's location.

The columns were broken down by Engine Co., Ladder Co., Battalion Chief,
Rescue, Squad Co., Marine Co. and other special units that may respond, the
left columns  were the relocating Engines and Ladder Co's and whose quarters
they were going to.

The rows displayed the alarms from the 1st to the 5th alarm.

Every fire house had a complete listing of carda at the house watch desk for
those alarm boxes that the unit responded or relocated and on what alarm.

As you can see each card could covers up to a fifth alarm assignment. When a
chief required an additional alarm response beyond the fifth. He would inform
the dispatcher of the number of alarms to be transmitted. In return the
dispatcher would transmit the requested number of alarms from one of the
other boroughs and send the units to the fire. This was referred to a Boro
Call or simulatneous alarm. The Broolkyn-Staten Island air plane crash, the
aircraft carrier Constellation fire (also in the then active Broolkyn Navy
yard) during the 1950's, the Jamaica gas explosion are just a few examples of
borough calls. The Jamaica gas explosion was on Friday, January 13, 1967,
occurred in the 13th Division and went to 13 alarms (who made the comment
about Friday the 13th as being unlucky wasn't kidding on that day).

As the card system was phased out and the computer system placed on line it
was realized that it had a few "bugs" one of which was the total number of
alarms for a box that the computer was set up for. In fact the chief in
charge could transmitt 9 alarms but the computer could only compute the fifth
alarm. Hopefully future improvements to the CAD system would correct these
problems.

I hope this information is helpful.

Joe Walc
Honorary Battalion Chief, FDNY