09/04/2026
Today's history lesson.
On September 4th, 1934, the city's Gamewell Fire Alarm System was renumbered & rezoned.
Previously, Box numbers started at No. 1 and so on to Box 233 in Lansingburgh. The city was rezoned as follows:
🚨100 series, from Ferry Street to South Troy.
🚨200 series, from Ferry Street north to Middleburgh, and east to 8th Street. The 200 series boxes were assigned 3 engines and 2 trucks, due to the rail yards, the collar factories, lumber yards and the high value business district.
🚨300 series, Congress Street above 8th Street and Spring Ave above the bridge including the entire East Side.
🚨400 series, 8th Street east, including Sycaway, from Congress Street to Frear Park and Oakwood Ave.
🚨500 series, Middleburgh Street north to about 119th Street.
🚨600 series, 119th Street north to Roosevelt Field.
The 900 series was assigned to high hazard and special building boxes, such as schools, hospitals, infirmaries, homes for the aged, and were also given a heavy response of 3 engines and 2 trucks.
On Feb. 15th, 1959 the Gamewell System was replaced with around 290 call boxes, the numbering system was kept the same, and several dozen new box locations were added. All old Gamewell boxes that were located in the middle of a block were relocated to the nearest street corner.
In June 1973, The RPI Campus was assigned the 700 series, initally these boxes also ran with a heavy assignment of 3 engines and 1 truck, but eventually reduced because of the incredible amount of false alarms.
The callboxes were removed in early 1982, but the box numbers were still announced during alarms of fire.
This box alarm system worked just fine until April 1999, when the city was again rezoned and dumbed down to today's current method.
In the photo below, from August 15th, 1989, shows the radio room with Patrolman Jim Strock on the police radio, Wayne Hamleton in the middle, and the great Steve Schongar on the fire radio.
I had a chance to take that drum home when it was discarded, but it was crushed in a city dump truck before I could get it.
