Question for the Old Time DFD folks

[FEO]

Yeah, that's what I wasn't sure of --- knowing who was out and who was due for fill-ins, etc. The guy on the Watch Desk had to have a few wits. Most of what I was familiar with was after the radios and alert monitors.

Did the prior alert system trigger the Gong and dorm lights? Or did that come in later?

The gong was not in the circuit at all times, in the past it was and was very disturbing to both horses and men so it was taken out of the circuit with a switch to connect it.
A small tapper bell was in the circuit for all box alarms.
When companies went in and out of service over the register no bell was in a circuit.
When an alert came in, the lights came on from Central but the man on watch had to throw the switch to put the gong in the circuit……this was only effective if a box was coming in over the register. If Central was giving us a run by phone the man on watch would take the run and since the guys were already alerted would be set to go. The man on watch would yell, engine goes, squad, goes….everybody
Box alarm 3124 [[ with location) or maybe just engine goes with location.
Hope this helps, ask anything, if I can remember due to age will answer.
No I wasn't around when the horses were here.

[Meddle]

ask anything, if I can remember due to age will answer.
No I wasn't around when the horses were here.

When did they really start doing Specials and what did they initially cover? Later on they were just about anything that wasn't fire related; accidents, rescues, etc.

[FEO]

When did they really start doing Specials and what did they initially cover? Later on they were just about anything that wasn't fire related; accidents, rescues, etc.

I don’t know the beginning of Specials. When I started in 1962, Fire Department Rescue Squads and the Police Station Wagons handled all "Specials". The first run of the Detroit EMS was 9:41 am, June 19, 1972 . Also I don’t know if the Police assisted the Fire Department or they got their own Specials and then we assisted them.
Others on this board may have some better information.