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46-845: The Houghton Fire Hall , officially called the Continental Fire Company Building , is a former fire station at the corner of Huron St. and Montezuma Ave. in Houghton, Michigan . Built in 1883, it was the original home of the Michigan Mining School . The building is listed as a Michigan State Historic Site and is a contributing property of the Shelden Avenue Historic District . The Continental Fire Company organized in 1860 in Houghton. The department's first fire hall

92-432: A "trophy wall" or case where the firefighters display memorabilia. Emergency telephone number An emergency telephone number is a number that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assistance. The emergency number differs from country to country; it is typically a three-digit number so that it can be easily remembered and dialed quickly. Some countries have a different emergency number for each of

138-411: A SIM card. For example, to decrease the risk of nuisance calls , French and British networks typically do not allow emergency calls without a SIM card. The GSM phones may regard some phone numbers with one or two digits as special service codes. It might be impossible to make an emergency call to numbers like 03 or 92 with a mobile phone. In those cases the emergency number has to be called by using

184-643: A centre. In the most remote communities, two 0s had to be used to reach a main centre; thus dialing 0+0, plus another 0 would call (at least) an operator. Zero is closest to the finger stall on Australian rotary dial phones, so it was easy to dial in darkness. The Telecommunications Numbering Plan 1997, also administered by ACMA, specifies that: 1122 is an emergency telephone number in Pakistan. It can be used to call for fire and medical emergencies. The International Telecommunication Union has officially set two standard emergency phone numbers for countries to use in

230-415: A database, and mobile callers through triangulation from towers or GPS on the device. This is often specifically mandated in a country's telecommunication law. When an emergency happened in the pre-dial (or "manual") telephone era, the user simply picked up the telephone receiver and waited for the operator to answer "number, please?". The user then responded with "get me the police", "I'm calling to report

276-461: A fire station are often posted with warning signs, and there may be a traffic signal to stop or warn traffic when apparatus are leaving or returning to the station. Fire stations have often been built with a tower, for purposes that have changed with time. A drill tower is used for practicing high-rise rescue, while a hose tower is used for hanging hoses to dry to prevent rot. Historically, towers were lookouts for spotting fires. Activities at

322-408: A fire station include regular inspection and cleaning of the apparatus and equipment, and training drills in which the firefighters practice their skills. Some fire companies also host public activities at the fire station during events such as a "fire prevention week", and the facility may also be used for fund-raising by the "firemen's association", " fire buffs ", or "fire auxiliary". If the station

368-473: A fire", or "I need an ambulance/doctor". Even in large cities, it was seldom necessary to ask for these services by number. In small towns, operators frequently provided additional services, knowing where to reach doctors, veterinarians, law enforcement personnel and firefighters at all times. Frequently, the operator was also responsible for activating the town's fire alarm. When manual switching systems began to be replaced by automatic, or "dial" systems, there

414-739: A landline telephone or with an additional first/last digit (for example 922 or 992 instead of 92 and 003 or 033 instead of 03). In the United States, the FCC requires networks to route every mobile-phone and payphone 911 call to an emergency service call center, including phones that have never had service, or whose service has lapsed. As a result, there are programs that provide donated used mobile phones to victims of domestic violence and others especially likely to need emergency services. Since 2020, emergency responders have been able to better locate callers who dial 911 on their cellphones from indoors as

460-607: A long distance or special number call.) The first 911 emergency phone system went into use by the Alabama Telephone Company in Haleyville, Alabama in 1968. On February 16, 1968, the first-ever 9-1-1 call was placed by Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite, from Haleyville City Hall, to U.S. Rep. Tom Bevill, at the city's police station. However, 911 systems were not in widespread use until

506-435: A standard on 29 July 1991. It is now a valid emergency number throughout EU countries and in many other CEPT countries. It works in parallel with other local emergency numbers in about two out of three EU states. Southern California Telephone Co. began using 116 as an emergency line for Los Angeles , California in 1946. 119 is an emergency telephone number in countries like for example China, Japan and South Korea. 120

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552-448: A traveller visiting a foreign country does not have to know the local emergency numbers. The mobile phone and the SIM card have a preprogrammed list of emergency numbers. When the user tries to set up a call using an emergency number known by a GSM or 3G phone, the special emergency call setup takes place. The actual number is not even transmitted into the network, but the network redirects

598-453: Is no access to the home network. Dialing a known emergency number like 112 forces the phone to try the call with any available network. On some networks, a GSM phone without a SIM card may be used to make emergency calls, and most GSM phones accept a larger list of emergency numbers without SIM card, such as 112 , 911 , 118 , 119 , 000 , 110 , 08 , and 999 . However, some GSM networks will not accept emergency calls from phones without

644-420: Is occupied full-time by career firefighters , it will contain living quarters and work areas, where they wait until a callout comes through. Career firefighters are usually able to sleep during a night shift, so these stations will also have dormitories. There will be an alarm system to alert them of an emergency call , and to give some indication of where and what the emergency is. In some small fire departments,

690-598: Is the emergency telephone number for ambulance service in China. 122 is an emergency telephone number in several countries. For example, it is used for fire emergencies in Austria, for traffic emergencies in China, and for police emergencies in Egypt. Prior to 1969, Australia lacked a national number for emergency services; the police, fire and ambulance services possessed many phone numbers, one for each local unit. In 1961,

736-477: The university . In 1974, the fire department moved to a new, more centrally located fire hall along Sharon Avenue in order to accommodate larger modern equipment. The fire bell was removed in October 1975 and transferred to the new location. The western addition was sold and became an auto supply store. The fire hall was listed as a Michigan State Historic Site on August 6, 1976. In 1978, the university purchased

782-659: The 1970s. France now uses 112, the European emergency number, as well as 17 and 18 for police and fire brigade, specific to France. 110 is the emergency telephone number for the police in China, Japan, and Germany. The emergency number 111 was adopted in New Zealand in 1955 and was first implemented in Masterton and Carterton in September 1958. New Zealand telephones had their rotary dials numbered in reverse to

828-538: The 1980s when the number 911 was adopted as the standard number across most of the country under the North American Numbering Plan . The implementation of 911 service in the US was a gradual and haphazard process. Because telephone service boundaries did not always exactly match governmental and other jurisdictional boundaries, a user might dial 911, only to discover that they had been connected to

874-591: The 1980s with electronic or digital systems eliminated the problem of older switches that would not recognize 911. At this point, 911 service is available in most of North America, but there are still small, sparsely-populated, or remote areas (such as Nunavut and the Northwest Territories in Canada's Arctic ) that do not have it. Gradually, various problems were overcome; "smart" or " enhanced 911 " systems were developed that not only would display

920-464: The U.S. wireless industry improved caller-location for the majority of such calls. The "heightened location accuracy," available to supporting networks and handsets, can find callers through nearby devices connected to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth that are logged with a specific location in a special emergency-services database. Mobile phones generate additional problems for emergency operators, as many phones will allow emergency numbers to be dialed even while

966-515: The UK and most of the world, with the number 1 on New Zealand rotary phones in the same position as the number 9 on British rotary phones. Dialling 111 would be recognised by the British-built step-by-step exchanges then used as a 999 emergency call, which would route the call accordingly. The CEPT recommended the use of 112 in 1972. The European Union subsequently adopted the 112 number as

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1012-558: The appropriate help. In the case of multiple services being needed on a call, the most urgent need must be determined, with other services being called in as needed. Emergency dispatchers are trained to control the call in order to provide help in an appropriate manner; they can be assisted by computer aided call handling systems (CACH). The emergency dispatcher may find it necessary to give urgent advice in life-threatening situations. Some dispatchers have special training in telling people how to perform first aid or CPR . In many parts of

1058-503: The auto supply store moved to a new location. The fire hall is a flat-roofed, three-story brick structure designed in the Italianate style. The foundation is built of rubble and painted white. A small, four-faced clock tower was originally situated on the cupola at the front of the building. The vertical space provided room for fire hoses to hang and dry. Fire station In large U.S. cities, fire stations are often named for

1104-610: The building from the city to use as storage. On December 30, 1987, the Shelden Avenue Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places , with the fire hall as a contributing property. It was sold in 2010 to a private group who renovated it into an entertainment venue, called the Continental Fire Co., which opened in February 2012. The western addition became vacant in October 2011 when

1150-452: The call, the line may still be held until the emergency service answers and releases the call. An emergency telephone number call may be answered by either a telephone operator or an emergency service dispatcher . The nature of the emergency ( police , fire , medical , coast guard ) is then determined. If the call has been answered by a telephone operator, they then connect the call to the appropriate emergency service, who then dispatches

1196-400: The caller's number and address at the dispatch center but also could be configured so that 911 calls were automatically routed to the correct dispatch center, regardless of what central office the caller was served from. In the United States, most cities have E911 systems either in use, or in their emergency systems design plans. In France , many telephone exchanges were closed at night but it

1242-456: The design of U.S. central office (phone) switches, it was not practical to use the British emergency number 999 (as was briefly considered). What was up to that time unassigned area code 911 was chosen instead. The "1" as the second digit was key; it told the switching equipment that this was not a routine call. (At the time, when the second digit was "1" or "0" the equipment handled the call as

1288-538: The different emergency services; these often differ only by the last digit. In many countries, dialing either 112 (used in Europe and parts of Asia, Africa and South America) or 911 (used mostly in the Americas) will connect callers to emergency services. For individual countries, see the list of emergency telephone numbers . The emergency telephone number is a special case in the country's telephone number plan. In

1334-465: The emergency call to the local emergency desk. Most GSM mobile phones can dial emergency numbers even when the phone keyboard is locked, the phone is without a SIM card , emergency number is entered instead of the PIN or there is not a network signal (busy network). Most GSM mobile phones have 112 , 999 and 911 as pre-programmed emergency numbers that are always available. The SIM card issued by

1380-468: The exchange to attract an operator's attention. The emergency number 999 was adopted in Winnipeg , Manitoba , Canada in 1959 at the urging of Stephen Juba , mayor of Winnipeg at the time. The city changed the number to 911 in 1972, in order to be consistent with the newly adopted U.S. emergency number. Several other countries besides the UK have adopted 999 as their emergency number. Because of

1426-717: The future. AP reports that member states have agreed that either 911 or 112 should be designated as emergency phone numbers – 911 is currently used in North America, while 112 is standard across the EU and in many other countries worldwide. In January 2008, the Internet Engineering Task Force released a set of RFC documents pertaining to emergency calls in IP networks. Mobile phones can be used in countries with different emergency numbers. This means that

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1472-409: The keypad is locked. Since mobile phones are typically carried in pockets and small bags, the keys can easily be depressed accidentally, leading to unintended calls . A system has been developed in the UK to connect calls where the caller is sent to an automated system, leaving more operators free to handle genuine emergency calls. As earlier telephone systems used loop disconnect dialing , attention

1518-438: The living quarters on the same level as the garage. Some fire stations are not regularly occupied, with the firefighting carried out by volunteer or retained firefighters . In this case, the firefighters are summoned to the fire station by siren , radio or pagers , where they will then deploy the fire engine. These fire stations may still have office space for the firefighters, a library of reference and other materials, and

1564-556: The office of the Postmaster General (PMG) introduced the Triple Zero (000) number in major population centres and near the end of the 1980s extended its coverage to nationwide. The number Triple Zero (000) was chosen for several reasons: technically, it suited the dialing system for the most remote automatic exchanges, particularly outback Queensland. These communities used the digit 0 to select an automatic trunk line to

1610-546: The only alarm may be a telephone for receiving calls. Many fire stations were built with the living quarters above the garage. This arrangement is common for fire stations built in a crowded city. The fireman's pole was invented to allow firefighters to quickly descend to the garage. In modern times, agencies such as the National Fire Protection Association have argued that these pose a safety hazard. Modern fire stations are often built with

1656-546: The operator can contain additional country-specific emergency numbers that can be used even when roaming abroad. The GSM network can also update the list of well-known emergency numbers when the phone registers to it. Using an emergency number recognized by a GSM phone like 112 instead of another emergency number may be advantageous, since GSM phones and networks give special priority to emergency calls. A phone dialing an emergency service number not recognized by it may refuse to roam onto another network, leading to trouble if there

1702-417: The past, calls to the emergency telephone number were often routed over special dedicated circuits. Though with the advent of electronic exchanges these calls are now often mixed with ordinary telephone traffic, they still may be able to access circuits that other traffic cannot. Often the system is set up so that once a call is made to an emergency telephone number, it must be answered. Should the caller abandon

1748-420: The primary fire companies and apparatus housed there, such as "Ladder 49". Other fire stations are named based on the settlement, neighborhood or street where they are located, or given a number. A fire station will at a minimum have a garage for housing at least one fire engine . There will also be storage space for equipment, though the most important equipment is stored in the vehicle itself. The approaches to

1794-412: The second floor and in the basement from 1886 through May 1889. In the early 1900s, the building was extended to the north to store more oats and hay for the horses. In 1916, an addition was built on the western side to store two more fire engines. The city moved its offices out of the fire hall in the 1930s. On August 5, 1966, a bronze plaque was unveiled commemorating the building as the original home of

1840-516: The user dialed the full number for the Police or Fire Department. This system remained essentially unchanged throughout most of North America until the 1970s. The first emergency number system to be deployed anywhere in the world was in London on 30 June 1937 using the number 999, and this was later extended to cover the entire country. When 999 was dialed, a buzzer sounded and a red light flashed in

1886-408: The world, an emergency service can identify the telephone number that a call has been placed from. This is normally done using the system that the telephone company uses to bill calls, making the number visible even for users who have unlisted numbers or who block caller ID . Enhanced 911 and similar systems like E112 can provide the location of landline callers by looking up the physical address in

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1932-521: The wrong dispatch center because they had telephone service from one location but lived within the boundaries of another jurisdiction. Electromechanical switching equipment still in use made it difficult to adapt to recognize 911, especially in small towns and rural areas where the call might have to be switched over a considerable distance. For this reason, there are still county sheriff departments that have toll-free "800" area code numbers. The rapid replacement of electromechanical switching systems in

1978-490: Was built in 1861 along the waterfront near the site of the modern-day Portage Lake Lift Bridge . The new fire hall was built in 1883 and its bell was cast in 1884 by Centennial Bell Foundry, G. Campbell & Sons, Milwaukee Wis. The Continental Fire Company occupied the basement, which housed horses, and the main floor, which stored fire engines. Village offices were on the second floor. The Michigan Mining School , now Michigan Technological University, held its first classes on

2024-420: Was devoted to avoiding the number being dialed accidentally by errant interruptions of the circuits by making them involve long sequences of pulses, such as with the UK 999 emergency number. This meant that "111" could not be used: "111" dialing could accidentally take place when phone lines were in too close proximity to each other. Subscribers, as they were called then, were even given instructions on how to find

2070-491: Was frequently concern among users that the very personalized emergency service provided by manual operators would be lost. Because numbers were different for every exchange, callers either had to dial the operator or look up the telephone number. This problem was at least partially solved in Canada, the UK, and the US by dialing "0" for the local assistance operator in case of emergency, although faster service could be obtained if

2116-399: Was still possible to make emergency calls. An operator had to connect the emergency calls only. In 1913, an automatic system was set up. It made provision for calling the police by dialing 17 and the fire brigade by dialing 18. As more manual telephone exchanges were converted to dial operation, more and more subscribers had access to these special numbers. The service was not widespread until

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