Canton Teens’ Fast Thinking Contains Fire, Using Antique Tech
Alright, maybe we’re changing our minds about those antiquated fire alarm boxes we wrote about last month.
The Canton Police Department said Sunday that the quick thinking of two Canton teens Saturday night helped contain a Washington Street fire. As Canton Police described on their Facebook page, when W.T. Khoury and Matt Casamento noticed the blaze, Matt dialed 911, while W.T. used a less obvious means of communication—the nearest telegraph-based “pole box.’’ Believe it or not, according to Canton Police, the old technology alerted the Canton Fire Department faster than the new:
Although numerous 911 calls did eventually come in reporting the fire, the Canton Fire Department was already enroute because those old boxes communicate directly with Canton Fire Alarm.
The area where the fire started is extremely congested with commercial property and two and three family residences. Because of the boys’ quick actions, Canton firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze before it spread too far and endangered lives.
Back in 2012, Canton Fire Chief Charles Doody told WickedLocal.com that Canton’s pole boxes would be removed due to lack of use, and because “cell phones have eliminated the need for them.’’ Guess it’s a good thing that plan hasn’t gone through.
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