Visible Card File, Map Book Improve Dispatching for Small Department
features
CAPT. L. R. DuFRENE
Bolingbrook, Ill., Fire Dept.
A simple but effective visible card system has improved the dispatching system of the Bolingbrook, Ill., Fire Department.
This system is made up of two primary parts. The first is the visible card cabinet in the dispatch office. The second part is a map book that has individual pages for each section of the village. These map books are in each unit, where the officer can view them while responding to alarms.
An index in the front of the map book lists streets in alphabetical order and shows the page they are on. When a street requires more than one page, the index shows the range of house numbers on each page. Facing each map page is a key locating that particular street with respect to the main streets. There is also an alphabetical list of the streets found on that map page.
Color code used
Each street name is color-coded and the individual lots shown on the map are colored to match. Each lot is shown on the map page and has the address number in it. Black circles on the map show the locations of fire hydrants.
The card cabinet has drawers that hold 50 cards each. The cards are held in individual holders that are easily removed and replaced so that additional streets can be inserted in alphabetical order with a minimum of work.
Each holder displays the card so that when the drawer is open, the bottom line of each card is visible with the street name and the map page number showing. Color signal tabs are inserted with each card to indicate the closest fire station.
Tabs for problems
In addition, a red signal tab is used to indicate a problem, such as a bad hydrant or a road closed for repair. Whenever a red signal tab is used, a card explaining the exact problem is inserted in the back of the preceding holder. This information can be given to the responding units over the radio as they call in service. The top of the card is used as a running card for up to five alarms.
The top drawers all have street name cards while the bottom drawers have numbers that correspond to the numbers on the automatic alarm annunciator board. Each number of the alarm panel is listed in order in the card file. The bottom line of the card shows the alarm number and the name and address for that alarm. The top of the card is the same as the street cards. Each alarm card has a facing card that shows whom to contact in case of an alarm.
This system is not as fast as a computerized system, but for a small department on a limited budget, it works very well. The original map pages for our system are drawn by fire fighters and then run on a copying machine. As the village grows, we add more pages to the map books and more drawers to the card cabinet.
