BY GLENN CORBETT
Effective communications are at the very heart of a fire department’s operations. Although many firefighters often don’t give it a second thought, a city’s firefighting capabilities are all directly plugged into the dispatch center. In this installment of Fire Engineering’s 140th anniversary coverage, we focus on an example of incredible foresight and operational conservatism.
In the wake of an all-too-close significant fire adjacent to Boston’s fire alarm office, the city decided it needed a new building and location for its dispatch center. A new site was selected: Fenway Park (the actual park, not the nearby baseball stadium). The location, inside the park and away from other buildings, was a stroke of genius - although a conflagration might be burning throughout the city, the fire alarm office would remain secure and functional. The building’s temple-like design (photo 1) emphasized the critical nature of the duties carried out inside, with the following inscription on its façade:
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