Relic Of Bygone Era Soon To Disappear For Good In Salem

SALEM, MA — Emergency fire alarm call boxes in Salem are about to go the way of the public payphone booth, drive-in theater and Blockbuster video stores.

The city will begin removing the century-old Master Box Fire Alarm system over the next few months before the system is completely taken offline as of June 1.

The public will notice boxes covered in the coming weeks before they are deinstalled throughout the city. Fire box alarms in private homes and businesses will also be deactivated.

The city said no fire in the past 20 years has been reported exclusively through a street box — which uses Morse-code signals over a citywide network of wiring to connect to fire departments.

The city said that the system is outdated, unreliable and costly to maintain. Last year, there were 66 false alarms from street boxes, which the city said wastes resources and creates unnecessary safety response risks.

"While the master box system served Salem well for over a century, it's no longer practical or effective," Fire Chief Alan Dionne said. "Modern technology provides faster, more reliable ways to report emergencies, and this change will help us focus resources where they're needed most."

The fire boxes are also vandalism magnets, according to officials.

Residents and property owners will receive updates and guidance on alternative fire reporting methods. For emergencies, residents should call 911.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)