Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-10
TIRE ALARM KEYS WILL
RI TAKEN FROM BOXES;
INSURANCE MAY JUMP
p,.n TO Put Them in Saloons,
bakeries and Other Places
+ Backed by City
officials
crop THE FALSE ALARMS

- criticism has been aroused among
n..,ca and fire underwriting experts
psisa oitv rs a result Of the announce
o. uHs maj keys TO fire-alarm boxes, which
nens ro,y kent in glass cases attached to
~ hoxes, In the future are TO he Kept
ttsSeries. saloons, factories and other
,,b,Ishments which are open day and
nlFht . ,,- III -,
,ncrease in the annual loss due TO
-, endnnger human lives, and will
s.sl.eeliy result In the raising OF the fire.
s--n,anee rates in this city
,vs,em which is to be put into ef-
rss used in this city until three
ns. sgo when fire destroyed n build
~, iiS West Tioga street, killing Miss
Tilrabeth X. Lyali.
rts inquest into the death of the woman
Ia there was n delay Of more than
y r,inutes in sending in the fire alarm
go m inability to locate the key to the
W., hox. II was asserted that If the
IA been available her life could have
s.sD ~ saved and the blaze extinguished
vith little difficulty.
,..,rcdlatelv after the tragedy Clayton
~ PIKE then chief of the Electrical Bu-
,'.u ordered the installation of the pres
-, tvpe of alarm box door with the key
<ontaIned behind glass panel which may
4. rsadily broken and instantly available
N case OF fre.
CHECK ON FAKE CALLS
Grief Mclaughlin. of the Electrical Bu-
,.su conferred yesterday with william
q Murphy chief of the Fire Department;
= RAYMOND of the National Board of
s,re Underwriters; Charles A. HeNamer. of
M Philadelphia Board Of Fire Under
vrI,ers, and Edward Aiken, chief of the
,,.c,rical signal system OF the Electrical
r,rsau. After the meeting it was an
soanoed that there would be return to
~ old system of keeping the keys TO
.i,rm boxes in nearby establishments.
Ths reason given for making the change
was The increase in the number of false
siarms recorded since the presnt type of
box was installed.
Prevalence of false alarms sounded in
hir cities Is no justification for taking
me keys out of the boxes. in the opinion
II John W. Kelly. chief of the Electrical
Bureau Of Camden, and former president
a the International Society of Municipal
Engineers.
WHAT OTHER CITIES DO.
-The large cities have most of the keys
located in the boxes" he said, land the
putting the keys where they can be
had Immediately. In New York, Balti-
more Washington, Chicago and all OF
he larger municipalities with which l
an acquainted the keys are at the boxes.
That Is the place for them. In Newark.
IN j., they even go so far as to leave
the keys unprotected-that is, there is
10 glass to break before the key Is
reached.
Though no official action was ever
taken by the International Society of
Municipal Engineers. the opinion of near
Il all members of that organization was
Aat the keys should not be kept away
from the alarm boxes.
Taking the keys away is not the way
10 suppress the false-alarm nuisance, A
ltn jail term for offenders is far more
effective. A man who rang a false alarm
In Camden not long ago was caught and
II hours after he pulledNthc alarm he was
beginning 60-day sentence in the county |
jail Time is everything If fighting a fire, !
and the place for the key is where 1t Is |
most accessible.
PIKE FOR PR iSENT METHOD.
Clayton W. Pike, former chief OF the |
Philadelphia Electrical Bureau, when |
Questioned on the matter replied:
4 DO not wish to he put in the posi- |
uon Of crlticislng any one" he said, "but |
my attitude on this question is apparent |
, nom the action l took when in charge |
q the Electrical Bureau. | Investigated |
lhe situation and found that the larger |
Municipalities kept the alarm box keys !
O. the box or else had a form of alarm |
which did not require a key. l consid- |
! cred speed in the transmission Of the |
ahrms essential and consequently ordered |
The change"
heLAUGHLIN'S REASONS.
chlef Mclaughlin. of the Electrical Blu
ieAu' said OF the proposed change:
THIS will not be done in a day. 1t |
may take six months; but one thing is |
certain, we have got to protect the public !
.salnst misehevous boys and drunken
men who break the glass in the alarm |
noAss now on our streets just to see the
Engines come.
Ihese keys will be placed in baker
Meps reputable saloons, hotels, apart
asal houses, factories and other places
l-l are open at night and are in the
IMMEDIATE vicinity OF the fire box. They
.l not be located in dwelling houses in
ny circumstances.