Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Keeping Cities Safe Over the Century




You’re probably wondering the same thing we were: what on earth is that contraption?! We found this advertisement in the League's December 1917 issue of Minnesota Municipalities magazine and just had to do a little research.

It turns out the "chief" is an early 911 system.  Made and sold by the W. S. Nott Company of Minneapolis, it was a means to notify the fire department of a fire. The sequence of the bell rings indicated from where in the city the fire call was originating. It appears this was one of the first alarms to use electricity, which meant it did not have to be wound like a clock.

While the “chief” certainly represented progress and new technology at the turn of the 20th century, we’re happy to report that public safety technology has improved in leaps and bounds since then!

For the last 100 years, the League has proudly offered practical training and guidance for a whole cross-section of public employees.

Join us as we continue this tradition at the 2013 Safety & Loss Control Workshops, where you will learn tips and tricks for managing risks and common safety challenges in today’s 21st century world.

We’ll be traveling to nine different locations across the state in March and April, covering topics for a wide variety of city staff—hope to see you there! Visit www.lmc.org/LCW13Blog for more information.