NEAFC 32nd Annual Conference.pdf - New England Association of ...

[NEw ENGLAND ASSOCIATION OF FIRE CHIEFS
may be connected to an alarm system separate from the emergncy telephone
reporting switchboard. A city m~y make arrangements, to install an annunciator
cabinet or recorder, purchased or leased from a private company,
with all sprinkler alarms terminating in that apparatus at fire headquarters.
With respect to rates and charges for a telephone reporting system, regular
service connection charges and monthly rates would apply for the telephones,
outdoor boxes, circuits and central office trunks. Special monthly charges
would apply for the switchboard and associated equipment. There would be a
minimum service period of ten years for the switchboard with termination
charges being reduced 1/120 for each month these arrangements remain in
service.
Any negotiations considered to be necessary with the fire underwriters
concerning fire insurance classifications would- be handled by tlxe city government.
In this connection, the telephone company would furnish detailed information
which might be needed about the arrangements, under consideration.
Even though I have reviewed with considerable detail the emergency fire
reporting service, which, would be furnished by the telephone company, I
wish to make clear that we have not been promoting the sale of this. service.
Our position is that, upon the request of a city or town government, we shall
furnish information as. to the type and kind of service we can provide, and,
if the municipality, after obtaining all the facts, asks our company to install
and maintain such a service, we shall do so, always provided that this company
can obtain approval of appropriate regulations, and tariff from the State
regulatory bodies.
It has been very enjoyable to talk to you today, and to me~t personally,
many members of your splendid association. I know that I am speaking for
every telephone employee when I say that all of us consider it an honor to
serve men whose lives are devoted to the protection of life and property--the
firemen!
Thank you very much! (Applause.)
PRESIDENT FORTIER: Thank you, Mr. Chasson. Are there any questions
that any one wishes to ask Mr. Ghasson, while he is. here?
DEI’UT¥ CHI,EF CLOUGHERT¥ Of Boston: Of course, I have a regular
telephone in my home. And I believe that it would be hard to convince the
ordinary person that he should, go to the corner, where they have a telephone
there, when they have a telephone right in their own home.
In other words, the fire alarm box would be practically out of existence,
and they would use their own phones.
Now, I would go out and pull a fire alarm box, knowing that under those
conditions, I would get the apparatus, up in a hu.rry.
What I am trying to bring out here is this: How would you c,onvince
the ordinary person not to use their own telephone? He would get the same
results, in his opinion.
It would have to be an educational program, in order to make him realize
that the telephone in the house may be plugged up with other calls, and that
he would have to go to the corner.
I think that we would have quite a pi’_oblem, to teach a person how to us~,
the fire alarm box system ......
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