Night Operators At Fire
Headquarters

Located on the fourth floor of the City Hall are the headquarters of the fire alarm system. The force of operators is divided into three shifts. The force shown in the above photograph is the night shift and remains on duty from 4 o’clock in the afternoon until midnight. They are relieved at midnight by a force which remains on until 8 o’clock and who are in turn relieved by the day shift.

The operators’ force comprises 12 men, all of whom must always be on the alert for an alarm. If the operators on duty should happen to fall asleep at the switch the whole city could burn down, as no alarm could be sent to the fire companies without first passing through headquarters. In some cases two or three boxes are pulled for the same fire, and in this case it is up to the operator to pick out the nearest.

The apparatus is not surpassed in the country, being modern and up-to-date. From the first of the present month fifty-five alarms have been sent in, an increase of ten for the same time last year. January and February also show a large increase over last year. For the year 1907 875 first alarms, 13 seconds, 2 thirds, 93 stills, 197 telephone and 6 special calls for the apparatus were sent in.

A record is kept of every company that answers an alarm, and in case an alarm is sounded while the companies of that district are out, the operator is compelled to send out other companies. The apparatus in the present headquarters is all new and was installed recently. The men shown in the above picture are: Superintendent Adam Bosch, Charles M. McGovern, and Thomas J. Rudden.