Malden Fire Department Decommissions 160-Year-Old Fire Alarm Boxes

The City of Malden is currently in the process of decommissioning the 160-year-old Fire Alarm Municipal Call System also known as the Fire Alarm Call Boxes.

The early boxes were the main means for residents to report a fire before telephones.

Through the technology of cellphones, the Fire Department has not received any calls of a fire reported through the municipal alarm call system in decades. Chief Jack Colangeli and Mayor Gary Christenson decided to decommission the archaic underground copper cable system as replacement equipment is difficult to obtain and it is very expensive to maintain.

An inoperable call box renders the Fire Department unable to use the system as well as obliges firefighters to take time to trouble shoot in an attempt to isolate the problem area. Additionally, decommissioning the boxes will save the Fire Department valuable time and resources as they will no longer have to send equipment out to false alarms. At one time, the Fire Department reported more than 100 false alarms per year attributed to pulling the call boxes.

To tackle these various issues, Fire Prevention and Fire Alarm staff had to invent a new method for dispatching apparatus. The staff upgraded their existing system and integrated new tones which are transmitted through an independent vendor that monitors alarm circuits and notifies Fire Alarm if an alarm has been activated. The alarms are transmitted over a series of new technology tones which alert the Fire Department whether there is a working fire or alarm activation, as a fire would mandate the dispatching of additional apparatus.

“The Malden Fire Department is always looking for ways to improve and provide better fire protection for the community,” said Fire Chief Jack Colangeli. “Eliminating an antiquated system is one way to prevent malicious false alarms and save the costs to maintain an old system in constant need of repair. Malden was in the forefront of this, as other communities are now following suit and removing their municipal loop systems.”

The full decommissioning of the system should be completed within the next few months.