NEAFC 31st Annual Conference.pdf - New England Association of ...

NEW ENGLAND ASSOCIATION OF FIRE ,CHIEFS
CHAIRMAN WOOLLEY: I would say definitely "yes," 100%. (Remarks were made
off-the,record) ooncerning the substitution of telephone’s for the municipal street
signal box.
CHAIRMAN WOOLLEY: We have a man here who is a technician and wants to
discuss the question of fire alarm vs. telephone ~boxes, about which he is quite concerned;
but we do not want to put any of our speakers in a posit}on where they may
be requested to speak for an organization they represent at this time, .against their will.
The communications committee of the International Ass.ociation of Fire Chiefs is
very much ,concerned about this situati.on. You might as well face the fact that whether
it is inspired by selfish interests, commercial in.terests or civic interests, they are going to
have to be faced. You found that out in the .City of Stamford where this and other
radical measures i~ the guise of economy, it was determined firemen were intended
to do fire duty and n.ot traffic duty.
The City of Miami has made a decision to discard fire alarm boxes, and other
cities are weighing this action very seriously. I believe that your organization with the
International Association, working with the National Board, will see to it that proper
standards are maintained.
I have been delegated to go to .Columbus to speak to the convention, in October
of the International Municipa] Signal Association, and we have the signal men on
our program in Toronto. This subject, will be .,thoroughly aired.
In con.cluding, let me thank here Percy Bugbee for his kindness in relinquishing
some time to which he was entitled. ’Last Call--"Has anyone got a question bearing
on the t.opics you have just heard? Is there anything you want us to discuss here ’before
we conclude which concerns doing a better job on the fire ground, gettin,g to the fire
faster, extinguishing it more quickly andl cleaning it up quicker?"
CHIEF KERWIN, Naval Base, Newport: Is the wave length of the various fire
department radios kept within a certain rang.e on the FM band--are some 152 and
some 1467
CHAIRMAN WOOLEY: I believe I can answer that for the Panel. It is an engineering
problem largely. The installation of radio in any area--state, county or other,
wise--is being done according to engineering standards set up by the signal men, the
fire chiefs communications group and the FCC, which has designated to these groups
the responsibility. In New England, Brother O’Banion of Boston is looking after details
of allocations, etc. While some will use 152, MC band, others will be given the
46 megacycle band, and so on, where it is a matter of expediency and~ efficiency. It is anengineering
problem having to do with interference, terrain and other details.
I would like to say this for the record: we are fighting a battle ir~ Washington
today to hold the frequencies which the fire service has been given, as the result of the
efforts of Sam Pope, May.or LaGflardia and others who went down there in 1940-41
and secured the wave lengths for the fire service. Very frankly it is a problem. We
have no paid 1.obby in the Na.tion’s Capit.ol, but the telephone; railroad and taxi companies
have powerful lobbies andl they are bringing pressure upon, FCC.
I give them all the credit in the world, and I believe no frequencies will be taken
from the fire service at this time. The allocations, I believe, are safe at our hands if
we work through the established channels. Anyone who wishes to have the details of
I9I