Tag: Gamewell

YORK, Pa.—Older is better, in some cases. Fred DeSantis, president of the York city firefighter's union, calls the city's 127-year-old Gamewell fire alarm network “the best system out there,” according to the York Dispatch. The city council recently voted to keep the system, comprising 83 boxes spread through the city, despite the growing cost of maintenance. The system can be triggered manually or by smoke, and it sends signals straight to fire stations, bypassing the 911 dispatchers...

YORK, Pa.—City officials in this Pennsylvania city are considering a proposal to terminate a 127-year-old fire alarm system, according to an article from the York Dispatch, a newspaper based here. Installed in 1886, the Gamewell systems' operating and maintenance costs are becoming onerous for the city. The 83 street boxes are connected to 320 properties, mostly businesses. Maintaining the system costs about $84,000 a year, the report said. Despite the age of the street boxes, the Gamewell...

EMMAUS, Pa.—The city council in this Philadelphia suburb wants to do away with its 60-year-old Gamewell fire alarm system, according to a report from the East Penn News. The antiquated system, installed in 1953 and still connected to seven buildings, costs the town $455 a month to run. While the fire boxes run on an independent power supply and tend to keep working even when power outages occur, a recent study recommended that the houses get rid of the boxes and replace them with a modern private...