In our newest episode of the Untapped New York podcast, we’re doing a deep dive into one of New York City’s most recognizable pieces of street furniture: fire alarm call boxes. You know what we’re ...

The anti-prank mechanism did lock to a person's wrist like a chunky bracelet when the alarm was pulled, but then the mechanism would detach from the alarm. In November 2019, a picture supposedly ...

Editor's note: This column is the first of two parts on Pittsfield's fire alarm system. From the earliest days in school, baby boomers were given lessons on what to do to report a fire. Of course ...

In case of fire, break glass. In case of fire, call 911. In case of fire some decades ago, run down the street, open the little box, pull the lever, and wait for a fire engine. That’s what I did, ...

David Ebarle pulls a tiny lever on the familiar red apparatus in front of him, shaped like a Monopoly house made of iron. It emits a mechanical, grinding noise that drones over his voice — it’s almost ...