# Frank Fowler Loomis

Frank Fowler Loomis (April 2, 1854 – September 19, 1936) was an American engineer and inventor who worked for the Akron, Ohio fire department. In 1874, Loomis, with the help of another engineer, developed four telegraph fire alarm boxes, which were patented in 1885. Loomis developed the city's fire alarm and control system and built the world's first police van. This van, however, was stolen and destroyed during the Akron riot of 1900. It was eventually restored and continued functioning for seven years before being overhauled in 1913. Loomis would also establish the "Loomis Award" in 1936 for fire service and heroism; only three firefighters received the award during its first fifty years.

## Early life

Loomis was born in Akron, Ohio, on April 2, 1854, as a son of Joseph and Elizabeth Loomis. He had an older brother, Charles H., who lived as a farmer in Sears, Michigan. Loomis attended Akron Public Schools until his father's death in January 1862, later living with an uncle in Wadsworth for the next seven years. In 1869, Loomis worked at Merrill's Pottery for a year, and became a volunteer fireman in the Akron fire department that same year. He later learned the blacksmith's trade before becoming a minuteman in a steamer in 1870. He slept at the fire station and worked as a street vendor during the day. His first job at the fire department was as a telephone operator, and he would sound the alarm to get volunteers in case of a fire. Loomis married on July 10, 1879, to Barbara Grad, in Akron.

## Career

In 1874, Loomis and another engineer developed and deployed four telegraph fire alarm boxes. These were placed at key businesses throughout the city of Akron. The system was in need of updates and further improvements, but the city would not fund it. The two of them and the fire chief purchased wire from a defunct telegraph line to make these improvements. It was soon realized that the operator could not give an accurate signal while under the influence of a fire. Loomis then developed an alarm box that worked by turning a crank, which then automatically gave the correct signal.
Loomis was promoted to city engineer in January 1881, and in 1885, he was granted a patent for an alarm box that worked by breaking glass and pulling a lever which opened the box and in turn sent out an automatic signal.

### Police patrol wagon

The success of the fire alarm system led to Loomis designing a horseless carriage for the police department in the late 1890s. He declared that it would be completed within a month if the process went smoothly. The motorized patrol car, built by the Collins Buggy Company of Akron to Loomis' specifications and drawings, was an electric vehicle that weighed three tons with its battery. It was first developed with a telegraph key, but was later improved with the addition of a telephone. It had a capacity of 12 people and was powered by two 4-horsepower electric motors. The police car's storage batteries had to be charged every thirty miles. It came with a headlight and a bell to alert people it was coming. At the time of its inception, the police patrol car had three speeds and could go up to sixteen miles per hour. The patrol car was less expensive to maintain than a team of horses to pull a wagon to do the same job. They are sometimes referred to as "paddy wagons". In 1899, it became the world's first motorized police patrol car.
Visitors came from all over the United States to see the car, and replicas were soon put into operation in Cleveland, Chicago and New York City. A station was even built for police patrol cars. The streetcar was taken by a mob during the 1900 Akron riots, and was damaged and pushed into the Ohio and Erie Canal. It was restored, repaired and put into service for another seven years. The electric police patrol car was then completely overhauled in 1913. It was exhibited and became part of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. It was later purchased by the Selle Company and scrapped in 1917.

## Later life and death

Loomis retired in 1910 and established the eponymous "Loomis Award" for fire service and heroism. It was originally established in 1936 and in the first 50 years only three firefighters received the award. Loomis later died on September 19, 1936.

## Gallery

* A diagram of a telegraph fire alarm box
* Frank Loomis with his police control car, c. 1900
* Publicity photo in 1899.