Pull Boxes

Pull boxes, needed or archaic in this day and age ?

I, myself, have only used a pull box twice in my life. Once for an outside fire extending to a building and the other was a large brawl where some kid got stabbed. I did not have a cell phone at the time and it was the only reliable way to notify the fire department to respond. I felt the need to do so because you can not depend on others to do it. Far too many times when something happens people will yell and shout to call 911 but never actually call themselves. Or, they think the other person called, so why should I. A human phenomena that I will call the " not me" syndrome. I think most people want to help, but have been programmed to not get involved. Scared of repercussions, lawyers or even the police, many people choose to ignore what is going on for the sake of anonymity. Do we not say " these kids and the stop snitching culture" they should speak up and help society. And yet, we are the first person to call someone a rat ? (sorry ,back to the point)

As a firefighter I have responded to numerous calls received by the pull box, some for incidents and some determined to be false alarms. Whenever I responded to one I thought in my mind " This could be the big one" or maybe some poor unfortunate soul was lying on the ground expiring, but no matter, I took the call serious until proven otherwise. Many times after responding and finding nothing I would think about what idiot would pull the box for nothing ? Did people get their jollies from seeing fire trucks respond with lights and siren ? Did mommy not hug them enough ? But plenty of times the box was pulled for legitimate reasons. Fires, both outside and building, car accidents, with injuries, gas leaks, water leaks, electrical hazards, medical emergencies, etc.

There are some, and one city councilor in particular, who say that in this day and age fire boxes are not needed. Everybody has a cell phone and no one uses the boxes anymore. At first look it would be to easy to agree but I want you realize that many people do not have cell phones and are not living life large. I'm certainly glad the number of false alarms have decreased over the years and it seems that most people who use them now truly need help.

Yes they cost money to maintain and plenty of cities have stopped using them but I also know that, to many people, just knowing they are there in case you need them makes them feel protected. Knowing that no matter what occurs help is just a pull away would make me feel at ease. Especially with our average response times, we can be there instantly and fully prepared to make things right.

I could go into all the incidents that I've responded to which originated from a straight pull but I won't. If for no other reason than yours and my attention span.

So I say to the naysayers, remember, plenty of people do not have phones or are living well. Lower socioeconomic areas are full of people who do not have access to life's luxuries or for that matter speak the language. But they know that if they pull the box, help will come.


Oh, the picture you ask ?

It's of the new Police call boxes being installed in various locations throughout the city in case someone needs to call for help.