The real "meaning"

[HFD eng1ine]

this is the real "meaning" of a Jake. A fireifhtier is comonly reffered to as a Jake. This if for you Engco4 as a return for all of the history lessons you have given me. Thank You

JAKE



New England affectionate slang for Firefighter.



This word was first used as a reference to firemen in the early 20th century in the Greater Boston area, and it's origins are recognized as officially unknown by several authors. While it is now a widely accepted term in the fire service, it is almost exclusively used in New England, and almost exclusively used to bestow great praise and the highest levels of respect. To be called a "Good Jake" is the highest form of praise a Boston area firefighter can possibly receive from a peer.

The term "Jake" is most probably derived from the term "J-Key". The first street-corner fire alarm box system was invented and constructed in the city of Boston, and was based on a telegraph system, novel in its day. Inside each box, next to the automatic alarm mechanism that tripped when someone pulled the hook, there was a small telegraph tapper, called a telegraph key, that firemen could use to communicate back to headquarters once they arrived on scene. As time passed, many World War One veterans had become Boston firefighters, and the telegraphs that these men were familiar with were the U.S. Army issue J-3 portable telegraph key (known as the WWI "trench key"), as well as other military J-Series telegraph keys, which were all known commonly as "J-Keys". These veterans probably used this as a common slang for the keys they used inside their fire alarm boxes.

Being a "Good J-Key" probably meant a fireman who was cool under the pressure and could send clear morse code. "J-Key" was eventually shortened to "Jake", and when spread to the public, "Jake" came to be a common term for firemen in general.

[JEL-UK]

Ok.... never read it but i know my name is in the a lot

[HFD eng1ine]

HAHAH yup

[EngCo4]

Congratulations! Good job on the research. Things like this
allow one to properly understand the history and responsibilites
encountered in the emergency services. Times change and
equipment changes, but it all has roots. And the roots give
one understanding of the job.

Now...go back and research the story behind leather fire helmets
in this country. You will learn much about the evolution and
design of our present-day gear. You will also find out just how
important the Cairns Co. was/is in the design and manufacture
of this unique piece of gear.

As for those call-boxes...many are STILL in use today! Sometimes
simple is GOOD! When I was on the job, all fo the bases that I
was at had these call boxes (look up "Gamewell") and we were
all issues a set of call-box keys so as to be able to clear and
reset the box fr the next alarm. I still have my set! One key is for
accessing the box and the other is for actually rewinding the big
clockwork spring that runs the coded tripwheel that has the box
number machined on it in a series of cam lobes.

Most cities have taken these call boxes out of service due to the
abuse/vandalism to the boxes and the sending of numerous false
alarms as pranks. The final blow to most telegraph systems was
the advent of radio dispatch and finally the "911" system where
even if you can't speak, if you just dial "911" and stay on the line,
your location can be traked and units will arrive at the proper
location.

[HFD eng1ine]

Thanks!!!! Yes, I am very familiar with Gamewell and accually, we have an old box at our station. Hopefuly we will put it out front someday! It even has the lighted red bulb on the top!!! We have brought it to fairs at the fire saftey booth and I am also very fAmiliar with rewinding them because it Seems that every little kid like to pull it! But now they know what to do in case of emergencies i will be sure to look up the history of Cairns and Bros.!!!! Also, do you know if Gamewell has anything to do with Honeywell? Honeywell makes alot of the modern fire alarms. My father is the fire inspector so I have been on many inspection and he likes to explain the huge sprinkler blueprints of all the big buildings in town to me! I will make another thread talking About Cairns soon!!