I dont have any figures, but my gut tells me that it has been a long time since any fire in the Boston area was reported via a street box before it was reported by a telephone call. The real need for street boxes probably arises from a disaster scenario that causes the loss of landlines and cellphones.
If communities are removing all of their boxes, and interior alarm systems will be connected to private central stations, maybe it makes more sense to have any remaining street boxes connected to a central station. Arlington Mass is phasing out the telegraph box system. Building owners seem to have the option of converting to a private alarm system or using radio boxes. Most locations seem to be opting for the private central station option. I suspect that the radio boxes have a high up front cost. IIRC Kuwait City, Riyadh, or Abu Dhabi has ALL fire alarm systems in the city directly connected to the FD. There are no central station offices. They basically just cut out the middle man. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "massfire" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/massfire?hl=en.
