Some Detroit fire stations have been forced to devise their own fire alarm systems. Here's an example of the system at the station that houses Engine 10. Computer recieves fire message from 911 and prints message.
Computer paper feeds into printer, knocking weight off shelf.
Weight, linked by a chain to light switch, triggers alarm, alerting firefighters of call. When Detroit dispatchers alert firehouses of emergency calls, they ring no bells and flash no lights. Instead, the sound that springs firefighters into action is the soft clicking of a dot matrix printer. The Detroit Fire Department sends computer messages through these printers notifying firehouses of runs. The department has relied on the printers as its primary method of alerting stations to fires since the early 1980s, when fire officials dismantled a citywide alarm system.