H75.164.1

Fire alarm pole. Description: Fire alarm pole, harp style, contains light on top, a harp shaped center which holds the alarm box and a bottom balast. Pole is painted green, alarm box is red. Dimensions: Very tall. History: Used on the streets of Oakland ca. 1900-15. Remarks: Fire box is an aluminum replica of the original. From History Information Station: Object: Cast iron street light pole with public fire alarm box. Installed on an Oakland street between 1900 and 1915, removed in the 1950s. With copper wire alarm transmitter in glass case. History: One of Oakland's most important civic improvements was the installation of public fire alarms in the 1880s. Many people were without telephones, and the public emergency system was seen as a great step forward in bringing safety and security to all citizens. The alarm transmitter (of copper wire mounted in glass case with nickel frame) made the whole system possible. It received calls from public alarm boxes and relayed them via telegraph lines to the nearest fire station, indicating to the station manager exactly which alarm box had been rung. In the days before electronic communication, this sort of message transmission was quite advanced. Before this, people without telephones sent children or neighbors running to the fire station to report a fire.