Mike Brandolino Remembers The Trenton Fire Department

Mike Brandolino Remembers:

brando said...

Sometime when we walked home from Sacred Heart School, some of
us would stop at the fire house and ask for a tour.
The firemen, being the great people that they are, showed us
around the station. they showed us the rescue equipment and gave
us demos too. Back then, the neighboorhood emergency fire boxes
were still in use. we learned that each fire box had a 4 number
code.
When a fire box was pulled, the station received an alarm. a
ticker-tape type device printed the fire box code on a strip a
paper that was on two spools like a reel to reel tape deck. I
think the test/demo code was "1313" (not quite sure) when they
showed us how the system worked.
The trucks would be dispatched to the area of the fire box. The
firemen had to look for the fire or get pointed in the direction
of the fire by the residents. a lot has changed since then.
Also, there is a very tall tower behind the fire house. It's
purpose...that's where the fire hoses drip-dry.
After use, one end of the 50 ft hose was connected to a rope
and hoisted to the top of the tower. the hoses hung vertically
to dry. there was a floor drain in the hose tower.
Stop by your local fire station for a tour. it is very educational.

Thank You Brando, this is great.
Our local Firebox was at Washington Street and Liberty Street
in front of the Laundry Place.