Photos - Tour of Gamewell Fire on 10/14/11

[RWC130 594]

On Friday October 14, 2011 I was invited to tour the Gamewell-FCI facility in Westwood, Massachusetts

with some guys from my Gamewell Fire Alarm Box Group on Facebook. "TR54" and I had a great time!

Below are some photos I took that I wanted to share with EMTBravo

(I do apologize the photo quality is not the best - taken with a Blackberry)

This is a brand new cast iron shell just off the line made for the NYC Subway System

If you would like to join my Gamewell Fire Alarm Box Facebook Group below is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/gamewellfirealarmbox/

I do have another tour in the works for April at a Gamewell facility in Connecticut that

I might open up to some EMTBravo members who are genuine Gamewell collectors and enthusiasts

If you ever had a Gamewell system 10 years ago or 100 years ago they still have the Keys

City of Peekskill, New York

I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE PHOTOS!

[gamewell45 258]

Thanks for posting the pictures. I might be so inclined to attend if they open it up to EMTBravo members!

[RWC130 594]

With a name like Gamewell I would have to say YES lol.

[spin_the_wheel 460]

Pretty cool, I own the Gamewell box that was 2 houses away from my house growing up. The Gamewell boxes were taken out of service in 1986. Replaced with King-Fisher slime green boxes that just went out of service last year.

[fire 1 asst chief 49]

The City of White Plains pulled all of their Gamwell Boxes when 911 came along. There were sold at a little known public auction before any of the guys on the job even knew what happened to them.

[spin_the_wheel 460]

We never knew what happned to them either.....it was only years later I found out who bought 100 of them, and He happened to have 234, which I manged to buy from him. I still have a list of #'s I want to buy off him some day!

Central Falls RI, the city is going through bankruptcy and is selling their street boxes on ebay. There are always many on ebay at any given time, prices range from $75 for a shell to $500 plus for older model boxes. 3 Dept.s in Nassau County still use a Gamewell box system.

Bellerose Village box #25

Remnants of my Departments box system still remain if you know what you are looking at.

Edited October 17, 2011 by spin_the_wheel

[RWC130 594]

Thanks guys, glad you enjoyed the photos.

I will keep you posted on the CT tour in the next couple months.

I was lucky to get my hands on a nice 51 style box when the City of Peekskill

took them out of service back in the mid 90's

Box 4 1 1 1

Main Steet & City Hall

As of today, I have 25+ in my collection from various states

some that date back to the late 1800's

[IzzyEng4 427]

Wish I could have gone. My home town and a few in the Lower Naugatuck Valley still use the street boxes. Unfortunately I looks like the end is near as there is a debate if the horns will be shut off or not. Hate to say it but Hurricane Irene was enough reason to turn the horns back on so we all knew where the heck a call was.

[x635 4,066]

I didn't even know they still made Gamewell Boxes!

Hartsdale has, or used to have, a Gamewell system. Like most departments (with Gamewell Boxes especially in New England), they had a bucket truck (like the phone company) to maintain this system, with two firefighters also being appointed as electricians. In 2006'ish, they still used the paper punch and most of the senior guys could tell where it was coming from just by the first few sounds. It was even placed in modern facilities that were built in the previous decade, such as the Solomon Schecter School (pictured below). Both Deputy Chief MacWhirter and Leo in Hartsdale taught me a lot about how the boxes operates and how to reset them.

It's hard to see because of the tarp (heavy rain and construction caused the roof to leak in the perfect spots, lol) but one end of the Gamewell box is there.

Interesting to note, I'm familiar with Newton, MA......I lived near there and my sister went to Boston College in Newton....never remember seeing a Gamewell facility.

[MoFire390 118]

hey rob what ever happened to the old box that was on the corner of Welcher and Jackson st....i remember it being there when i was 10. asked my what dad what it was at one time. then3 weeks later it was gone.

[TR54 239]

TR54 photos -Friday October 14, 2011 tour of the Gamewell-FCI facility in Westwood, Massachusetts

New boxes

[RWC130 594]

X635, the photo you have is part of a Gamewell tape register and take-up reel system.

When a "Box" was transmitted (i.e. 3127) the register would punch 3127 in the tape

and the Firefighter at the station would look at the directory of Fire Alarm Boxes and find 3127

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7qt4ctJpQM&feature=related

JOIN MY GAMEWELL GROUP ON FACEBOOK!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/gamewellfirealarmbox/

[PaulBalentine 13]

Tim and Rob,

SO GREAT TO MEET YOU GUYS THE OTHER DAY!!!!! It was well worth the trip down, I am still in awe of the whole Gamewell experience!!!!!! It was almost as good as Disney!!! It would have been better if we could have filled our trunks, though.......I am also glad you guys turned me on to this website, there's alot of stuff on this site, I can't wait to have more time to explore. So far, I am looking around in between chasing my older son around!!!!!

BTW the video on youtube above this post is Brian Owen's collection in his early days (the guy from Connecticut) He has since made improvements to his collection and it is very presentable as you will see in subsequent videos that he has uploaded. Stay safe and keep in touch!!!!

[RWC130 594]

If anyone from EMTBravo is interested? I will have Gamewell Fire Alarm Box

T-SHIRTS available sometime in the next month or two.

[spin_the_wheel 460]

Here's a few of our older alarm repair trucks. Our current one looks like the Hartsdale truck. I like the old panel truck!

52 Mack L model, and a 1929 American LaFrance city service truck are also pictured.

Edited October 20, 2011 by spin_the_wheel

[efdcapt115 1,511]

If anyone from EMTBravo is interested? I will have Gamewell Fire Alarm Box

T-SHIRTS available sometime in the next month or two.

Rob,

That sounds pretty cool. Can you describe them; color, front, back, price, etc.

Thanks!