"still alarm" - FD terminology

[Peteri Szerlagi]

https://youtu.be/q9G7GPdWFBY?si=ZZPDtDO7hlaIJsQO

still alarm means that the bells are still (not ringing)

context - in the beginning - people would run thru the streets yelling
'fire" - then there were watchmen ringing bells or blowing whistles or
yelling - then there were fire boxes - and the fire boxes were
connected to the bells in the fire stations - so nay call when the
bells were ring was a bell alarm or a box alarm - any calls when the
bells were not ringing was a 'still alarm'

a still alarm might happen when someone ran into the firehouse yelling
fire without pulling a fire box - therefore the bells would not ring
in the fire station

a still alarm might happen when a telephone call was received
reporting a fire and no street boxes were pulled

the meaning can be different from city to city I suppose

and the meaning can depend if you are tal;king about the alarm being
received by the FD or being transmitted by the FD - ie - the message
going into the fire dispatch center or the message coming out of the
dispatch center

clear as mud - right?