The Abandoned Fire Alarm

Unfortunately, many old schools like the one shown in this video are being demolished at an alarming rate (pardon the pun). With their destruction many historical artifacts are also destroyed, like old fire alarm systems. These old schools are often times replaced with cheaply constructed new ones, that only have a mere lifespan of 30 years.

[@ThunderboltSirenStudios]

The music in this video really set the tone of sadness and hopleness to the point where i genuinely feel pity for that old building. Nicely done.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Thank you for watching and for your comment.

[@HenBasketFireAlarms]

It’s always sad to see such beautiful buildings go to waste, whether through demolition or ugly-ass gymnasiums

[@NVHSChadSheppard1]

I truly agree

[@TexasRailfan2008]

Same

[@reydecastro6651]

It's like going to a Museum FILLED with Aincent items, And Blowing it ALL up. It's very sad.

[@tylerb3132]

sad part is they should have built these schools a little smaller, or taken better care of them. But sad to see them demo'd, they should all be at least converted to housing, I for one would love to live in an old school.

[@TexasRailfan2008]

My middle school has one of those metal buildings that is dome shaped except it has 2 domes and there gonna tear it down in about half a year to be replaced with a new gym :(

[@BlueThunderboltsiren]

The older building were prettier back then in my opinion.

[@johnnyschroeder1844]

i like to watch loud powerful fire alarms loud boomen subwoofer heavy metal my powerful desktop teen titans

[@kendraferrell2359]

Johnny Schroeder wuuut??

[@TexasRailfan2008]

Blue Thunderbolt 1003 siren I think that’s everyone’s opinion

[@iangraves9440]

Yeah they were more beautifully designed, but as years went by they had to bring it up to code and usually that meant just tacking something to the wall which doesn't look very good. Plus old buildings have a lot of asbestos.

[@doohickey-enjoyer]

All older buildings look better! screw it, nearly all older things look and function better than newer things.

[@siphonralarms9411]

That’s one solid Fire Alarm System! Compared to today’s technology, that thing still rings

[@whatusayaboutmymom]

I truly appreciate these videos not just for the "how things used to work," but also to appreciate the architecture of old school buildings. As an Ohioan, it's a shame when the buildings with personality are destroyed in place of new, bland designs. It's also upsetting to see so many items STILL in the school, like that hole puncher next to the fire alarm system - I could use that, as could any teacher!

[@Vigilance108]

I agree with you man

[@spleentoon]

So real! I go to one of the old schools in Ohio right now (The auditorium was built in 1928 and the rest of the building in the early 1970's) and it's going to be demolished after this school year is over. It's a real shame! It has a lot of history, but unfortunately not many people seem to care about that these days. I hope to take some things as mementos from the building before we have to leave!

[@tylorevans]

Someone needs to salvage the fire alarm before the building gets torn down or save the old building.

[@llDame]

I’m going in there today 😭

[@bluepearl9075]

Old schools are so taken for granted, when it would be easy to repurpose them. So sad 💔

[@Kudlaty771]

Old school buildings like this make me feel incredibly safe. I hope to save one built in the 40s or 50s someday by buying it, and restoring it to as close to its former glory as I can... also, when you went into the schools basement, I have to say, now THAT is a fire door.

[@iangraves9440]

Yeah the only issue is asbestos abatement would cost up into the millions.

[@Kudlaty771]

@@iangraves9440 yeah, and that isn't even including roof repairs and such as well

[@plumbingstuffinoregon2471]

@@Kudlaty771 Man that's one of my biggest dreams. I love the old schools built in from the 30s and older. I'd love to own one some day.

[@matthewtaipale4112]

@@plumbingstuffinoregon2471 I'd love to own a building with a fire alarm system like this. But that will never happen

[@wolfhard5758]

I like how i seen a upgraded station the pull down even tho nobodys there to pull it 💀

[@Rai-k6k]

As the building is still abandoned the old vintage fire alarms will still be surviving they made us proud

[@firewolfeena_theanimallover]

I don't think I had ever seen how those alarms worked so glad you found one that still works it was a very cool video

[@sigglass2183]

They should probably convert this school into some kind of hotel or apartment.

[@gushater]

I live in an old mill town and they turned the abandoned factory's into apartments

[@alexandersalarms5380]

@@gushater is it Connecticut ?

[@SomeDudeWithAnExitSign]

There is one school in Portland which was converted into a hotel. But the original fire alarms has probably Ben removed during the transition from eather abounded school to hotel or school to hotel. The newer system is Wheelock MT-24LSMs,E1070 lsm speaker strobes, Wheelock RS, Spectalert advances in a small building, BG12LXs,SD350 (I assume),the panel is probably a fire lite ms9200,Ms9200ud,or ms9600, the voice panel I believe is a fire lite fire command 25/50x or a ACC (maybe a Wheelock Safepath) the outdoor alarms are MT-24WMs and BG12LOBs.

[@TexasRailfan2008]

Hotel would be cool

[@ronlandrum4611]

There was probably a good reason this school was abandoned.

[@Thunderbolt1003]

My old middle school (1964) has the original horns (simplex 4037s) behind some vents and is being demolished in the near future

[@gallup6140]

Would be sweet if you could snag some of those 4037s before the building goes down. Neat rare horns; would kill to add one to the collection someday

[@spclanghorne4494]

My middle school built in 1962 still had two old horns on the exterior. They were replaced by Spectre Alert Classics in 2006.

[@hqgirl567]

My high school was built in the late 1800s and is still being used today

[@Vigilance108]

O_O

[@venangoproductions]

There’s an old school right by my house, sadly it’s been turned Into an apartment building, however the two elementary schools were built in 1963, and still run to this day

[@JackMustang]

That’s a huge school. Got to love old, vintage stuff.

[@Salmontoes]

It looks like that school level in the backrooms

[@Salmontoes]

But still it looks cool inside

[@12baumarobi]

Wow, you really know how to put together a top grade production! Thanks for taking the time to research and put in the old photos, and the music you found, so melancholy, and spooky. I don't know if anybody would ever make a full length documentary about old fire safety systems and history, but if they did, I sure hope they would let you help with it. Questions I have, 1) what music piece is used? 2) were the bells a brass finish originally? 3) Is this the oldest control panel you have found so far? Thank you, keep up the grand work :)

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Thank you for watching and for your comments and questions. The manual trip bells in this school were originally brass and painted black in later years to prevent having to polish them. This is not the oldest control panel I have seen. The oldest control panel I have seen was an Autocall panel that was made in the 1920's in a Cleveland school. Unfortunately I do not remember the name of the musical score. I believe I recorded it sometime in the 1980's.

[@GoatedSonicBros]

This is very interesting how these old Fire Alarms work back in the day, and can we get some respect for this guy how much effort he put in these videos 💯🔥.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Thank you, most appreciated!

[@bussesandmore1263]

yes we should

[@KanoaDeCastro]

I love seeing old buildings with rare systems. It is just a shame they're being demolished. They're a historic artifact, and they are treated like garbage

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms.]

I agree with you 100%. Thank you for watching and for your comments.

[@mircomamsecosirensnalarms]

yeah and i am against it

[@pineappleroad]

I remember that back in late 2011 early 2012, the school i went to back then was having a new building built, the new building was being built alongside where the old building was (i say was as the old building was demolished over the summer in 2012) and when the new building was essentially completed and just needed to have the wiring and stuff like that done, i was among a small group of students who got taken on a tour of it (i think i must have been one of the first students to see the inside of the new building) the old building had a rather unusual layout, where on the upper floors (first, second, and third), on one side, there were 3 classrooms accessible from the stairwell, and on the other side, there were 2 classrooms accessible from the stairwell, there were two stairwells, but normally students were not allowed to directly get from one stairwell to another on the upper floors as it involved going through two classrooms, so we had to go down to the ground floor to access the other stairwell one thing i do remember is that the maths classrooms were back to back on the third floor, there was a connecting door between the two classrooms, and the music classroom was on the third floor as well, and unfortunatly for me, whenever i had music after maths, i had to go all the way down, walk along the coridor, and all the way up again In the country where i live (UK) the manual fire alarm switches here are referred to as call points I am not sure what type of fire alarm system the old building had, but i do remember the fire alarm call points were rectangular with a circular glass window on them, and to activate the alarm you would break the glass window on the call point athough the new building was nicer in some ways (not including the toilets, those were terrible, the walls of the cubicles could shift, so sometimes you couldnt lock the door, or even worse the door could slip off the lock when the walls were pushed, other times you could not get the door open without pushing on the wall of the cubicle, this is the reason why i liked the one furthest from the entrance, as the door for that one was the only one unaffected by the walls being pushed around, and the cubicle was also a bit larger, as the door faced the entrance rather than the side wall), one of the things i wasnt keen on were the fire alarm call points, which were the plastic resettable ones, square shaped with a rectanglular plastic panel which you press to activate the alarm, and they did NOT have a protective cover over them, so it would only take someone tripping over something and them to apply pressure to the call point as they fell, and that would set the alarm off, and indeed it did happen, someone tripped over a bag and set the fire alarm off One of the intresting things of the new building was the class change bells, which was a bell sound played through speakers in the ceiling, and i found out the clocks around the school and the class change bells were linked (the clocks were some sort of werid radio controlled thing which must have been controlled by the same server which handled the bells, as if either of those systems went down, the other one followed, and when the clocks stopped working it was rather intresting to watch, as the hands would start spinning until the clock reaches the exact hour of 12, i do not know if it was am or pm, but the control system on the clocks seemed to care about if it was AM or PM, as one time i observed the clocks do the spinny thing, they went past the hour 12 once, and stopped on it the second time

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Interesting reading your comment. Thank you for watching and visiting my You Tube channel.

[@alarmmuseum]

I think the call points you may be referring to are Gent of Leicester 1102 call points

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

@@alarmmuseum What a great company, Gent of Leicester was. Like many older, great companies, Gent of Leicester has been bought and sold many times. I just wanted to put that out there because many people do not know who or what Gent of Leicester is and/or was. Now regarding your use of the term "call points", if you are referring to the actuation switch next to the control panel, or the pull rod that activates this particular fire alarm system, I'm not really sure what you mean by the 1102 call points??

[@alarmmuseum]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms I was meant to reply to the commenter Pineapple Road talking about the old call points in his/her old school! The 1102s are an old model of call point made by Chloride Gent of Leicester in the 60s and 70s, if you search it up, there are a couple of videos of them. I have two of them myself. You are right in saying they were a great company! Got bought by Honeywell unfortunately

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

@@alarmmuseum Thank you so much for clarifying that. I had to re-read the comment by Pineapple to remind myself. Now what you said makes sense. Thanks again!

[@FireRescue80]

This is a very cool building. Sad it's in its current state. Hopefully the outcome will be of this results in the building being saved. Nice video. My heart was pounding the entire video.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Thank you Jared for watching and for your comment. I always appreciate your support.

[@FireRescue80]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms You're very welcome. I'm quite frankly enjoying and learning about these systems. Question, with these type of old AutoCall, IBM, Simplex panels is it possible to add smoke detectors? Just curious because I have a feeling if you replace a pull station with a smoke detector, the system should go off.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

@@FireRescue80 Yes, you can add smoke and heat detectors on the older panels with no problem.

[@FireRescue80]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms cool. Thank you very much.

[@jorgeflores9381]

What about starting a petition to prevent demolition or modification of the school building and it’s conversion into a museum

[@TexasRailfan2008]

It’s a shame to see these beautiful buildings go to waste 😞

[@itstheV01D]

TO GYMS

[@maas1208]

It sure is 😔

[@gabemarah9465]

My mom, grandma, etc. would be sad to see their school like this. Also, god vid! Btw, you gave it a visit, how nice!(This is is not the school I’m talking about, I’m using it as a reference.) To me it’s no longer abandoned if you visit every once in a while. Also I wanna hear the song’s name, I like it.

[@paulpennock1847]

Its the music soundtrack for the movie "Flower In The Attic"

[@skydive7054]

the fact that fire alarms in a school built in 1918 are still working even after the school was abandoned is amazing as hell. Meanwhile, i remember a bunch of times where the fire alarm system at my elementary school had issues. one time it malfuncted and the buzzing part wouldnt turn on, or once it wouldnt turn off, once the lights wouldnt turn on, once they couldnt turn the system off, etc. etc.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

That's typical, especially with the cheap, newer systems being manufactured today.

[@DanTDMJace]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms*insert compilations of QuickStarts and EST3s failing* Ahh yes, my friend.

[@Vigilance108]

**inserts video of exit signs getting destroyed**

[@meikl100]

I am generally scared of old school buildings, such as these. Just in there.. alone. Scary too me. That music thoo-

[@willardcrafto]

If I had a lot of money, I’d buy this school, and restore it to how it looked in 1918.

[@lali4540]

What would you use it for?

[@iangraves9440]

Easier said than done, asbestos abatement is expensive.

[@diegoalbertomilanocardozo7300]

Same! Also. This reply is in 2024

[@jakejayjay283]

Hundreds o f years old and shows its quality

[@owenperkins]

Enjoying your videos very much! I love these old buildings and their mechanical systems. Great choice of music in this one. "Flowers In The Attic" is a strange but neat movie. I'm a sucker for big old houses no matter what the plot is.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Thank you for watching and for your comments, most appreciated.

[@virbricky]

Now if this was a modern day system powered up after all that time it would have let the magic smoke out and complained and moaned about the module failures, NAC issues, supervised problems and just shot its self in the foot

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

How right you are!

[@DCC--vq1ng]

I think that there could be at least 10 troubles if a modern system got powered on after that long time of abandoned. Mainly consists of fire pump trouble, detector trouble, and possibly some alarms as pull stations might get pulled by explorers.

[@AutoUnder]

Is there no way to preserve old buildings like this one in the states? In the UK, older buildings that have a significant background or have unique architecture are listed which means that any modifications can only be done with permission from the local authority and demolition is strictly forbidden (unless the building falls into dangerous disrepair)

[@Seeker-wq8jc]

I came for the fire alarm, and leave with a history lesson, which I was very fascinated by. I loved all the pictures of various decades, showing the changes the school went through. I feel quite sad that it's abandoned, as do I many places just like it. I never do see the point in just abandoning perfectly good structures. Sure they're a little rough around the edges, but they're still perfectly good walls and a roof, and don't see why these places can't be converted into something else - a homeless shelter, if nothing else. It's a waste, and a crying shame. That gym...it's equal parts hilarious and frustrating. It's such an ungodly eyesore. Can you tell it's not original to the building? You have this nicely crafted school designed by someone who knew what they were doing...and then you have this...lazy brick box...just kludged onto it. It doesn't match at all, and stands out like a sore thumb. I can only imagine the original architect rolling in his grave as that gym was built.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Thank you for watching and for your comments. Yes, that gym truly ruined the original appearance of the school. The architect(s) that designed that gym must have been smoking crack. When you try and mix new with old when it comes to building designs and structure, it usually doesn't turn out looking good. This school building is a classic example of what happens when architects attempt to do this.

[@Seeker-wq8jc]

I don't know that you could call the people who worked on the gym "architects"; a toddler could design that. It's just a box designed by people who clearly didn't care. No attempt whatsoever to give it any creativity or style, no effort to try and make it even sort of match. No windows, no details, just a boring brick box. Somebody woke up one day, drew that up in five seconds, and got paid for it.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

@@Seeker-wq8jc I would have to agree with you on that 100%.

[@Vigilance108]

sure they need repairs to certain areas but other than that they're good to go

[@spleentoon]

I recognize this building! My Papa went here for school. It's cool to see the place as it was in the past and as it is now! Very glad the owner hasn't chosen to demolish it. Sometimes we go past it on the way to my school, and I hope someday I'll be able to visit it. It's just so cool to see old buildings, especially schools. It's really quite unfortunate how little people care about these places these days and just have them demolished. My school I'm going to right now has a rather old building that's going to get demolished at the end of this school year, which I'm not very happy about. I totally plan on taking some old stuff from the building before it's demolished. Gotta watch out for asbestos, though- and lead paint. The auditorium was built in 1928 and some of the wires connecting lights contain asbestos. Even with the lead paint and asbestos, I'm saddened it's getting demolished. It has a lot of history to it, so it's unfortunate the renovation costs are so high that it must be demolished. I'm gonna miss this place. Wish I could take a video of the fire alarm before I leave, it's pretty goofy sounding. It kinda sounds like those plastic hand clapper toys, which is fun to hear during drills

[@Falador321]

This channel makes me sad, every video the descriptions says "it's being marked for demolition". These buildings have amazing architecture and should be preserved somehow..

[@shanaemerine9074]

This music goes well with the video, nice work😊

[@the486man9]

Makes me sad to see a building pulled down like that, luckly it isn't common here in Australia

[@randombird390]

Hey I’m Australian!

[@zachstudios567]

There's an old school building in Keego Harbor, Michigan that residents are fighting to keep standing. I think if they win the school gets repurposed into apartments

[@sirenfreak57]

It’s really sad to see these majestic old buildings be demolished. They have so much architectural character and ornate attention to detail that isn’t seen today. Unfortunately where I attended school, Revere High School in Richfield, Ohio (the original building is from 1953 and was added onto in 54, 57, 64, 68, 72, 82, and finally in 1995) will meet the bulldozer in mere weeks. Only the newer 1995 addition is being added onto the new school building. Unfortunately poor maintenance caused the older parts of the building to deteriorate over the years, which is a shame. Here in Dayton, where I live currently, we have a couple old schools (Stivers High School and Wilbur Wright High School) that are still standing. Stivers was completely restored and renovated extensively in 2006 to make it look like it did when it was originally built (it was kept as the school was placed on the National Register of Historic Places). City leaders chose to renovate it because of so many other historic buildings near downtown in that area. Every time I’m downtown and pass by that building I can’t help but look up and admire the detail and character the building has. These buildings were so much more than schools, they were works of art.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Thank you for your comment. You are so right when you say, those buildings were so much more than just schools, they were truly works of art. Stivers and Wilbur Wright were both architectural gems for sure.

[@gabemarah9465]

I’m with you on that one. I would protest or buy the building myself.

[@Vigilance108]

do you have the 77,000 dollars? didn't think so

[@NVHSChadSheppard1]

Love those cowbell trouble bells

[@Vigilance108]

cow

[@BellyJae]

Ohio! I went to the School for Creative and Performing Arts in downtown Cincinnati. Talk about a beautiful old building. We didn’t even have fire alarms in that building. They just used a tone over the PA system as a fire alarm.

[@iangraves9440]

Wait a minute, that's illegal.

[@ZakWolf]

Yeah, it's too bad such old school buildings get demolished. A few here in Brockton MA ended up with that fate, but there were some others that have been preserved but were renovated at some point, thus removing any original fire alarm equipment. There's a school building that wasn't too far from my old house, built in 1896 and added onto in 1914. The current fire alarm system in place is a Simplex 4207 system, installed when the school was renovated in 1978. They have Simplex 4051 horns on 4050-80 light plates (the horns sound on Continuous while the lights flash via the panel's coding wheel) and 4251-30 break-glass pulls and heat sensors (no smoke detectors.) I know they are currently planning to expand and renovate my old high school, while not as old as the schools you've shown here (it was built in 1969-70) it's still pretty old and in rough shape, and still has much of the original fire alarm equipment in place (Simplex 4040 horns, Edwards 270-SPO pulls, and older heat sensors that are sparsely placed.)

[@alexandersalarms5380]

I've never seen an old school in brockton.

[@ZakWolf]

@@alexandersalarms5380 There are a few around. There are also school buildings built between the 1950s and 1970s still in use, but several of them have had their original fire alarm systems replaced so far...

[@BlueThunderboltsiren]

I like the music you put with your videos by the way

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Thank you!

[@destisinawe1221]

Kinda haunting

[@moxiethecatd7116]

2:26 dang my grandpa was born in 1951. He will be missed and loved. R.I.P Jesus ornelas

[@Mopsspoof]

This school is beautiful, I don’t get why it was abandoned. The gym in the middle ruined the very well planned and chiseled aesthetic of the architecture, it makes me sad that a monument like this was disrespected. Many other historical buildings are also being abandoned and torn down like this.

[@Bill-bj9fn]

Built to last, but as you implement newer technologies, it becomes exponentially more expensive to maintain them. Usually they will find it cheaper and easier to just construct a new school entirely.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

@@Bill-bj9fn So true what you said. However, if there were more tradesmen schooled and skilled in renovation construction, this would not be the case. New construction is usually built with non-union, cheap labor. Also, because of this fact, the construction companies and/or general contractors get to keep more of the money from these projects in their pockets. New schools have a mere lifespan of only 30 years. The old schools that are being demolished were designed and built to last a minimum of 100 years. Ask yourself this question; if a tornado or some other severe storm was occurring, which building would you want to take shelter in ??

[@slapshotjack9806]

Buildings can’t be disrespected lol 😂

[@rexjolles]

Homie it's a school it doesn't matter. They needed a gym, they got a gym. One day you'll realize that every single old building can't be saved and it doesn't really matter. I love old buildings too but some of them are just old and borung

[@DanTDMJace]

@@rexjollesahh yes, *borung*

[@vintagefirealarmguy5285]

I love old alarms like this

[@mds2465]

Why was the school closed down in the first place?

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

The school was closed due to school re-districting and lack of students.

[@mds2465]

Old School Fire Alarms that is a shame. They should definitely do something with that old building.

[@mrcleanmagiceraser-tz6xx]

There are photos on Flickr showing the school right after it closed, they kept the frame of the doors in the gym but still it doesn't look that nice

[@creativeplanetjanet]

Well done Old School Fire Alarms! I am so tempted to go pull the one in the apartment building where I live. 😜

[@DENPTrains]

That sounds like a bad idea lol

[@Samthe17]

Hmmm I dunno about that.

[@jacobfountain5986]

And risk a hefty fine?? Let natural selection work itself out smfh. Dumbasses 🙄

[@iangraves9440]

If you can run from a moving fire truck with a bunch of pissed off firemen, more power to ya.

[@TheArchDemon729]

What does Ohio have against old buildings

[@thomasm.longiii3752]

My guest is, they convinced them to tear down instead of renovating the old ones. Like @oldschoolfirealarm says, construction companies said it would be cheaper to tear down the old schools to build newer ones instead of remodeling them, in some cases this is true, but most cases is not true. It’s wasteful and they are just not understanding the values of the old buildings. My guest at least.

[@FIreLIGHt-xh9rb]

I love to see old systems like this. At least we can see some still in action for the time being.

[@RXRMidwest]

Any plans on saving the alarms?

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

I'm working on it.

[@TexasRailfan2008]

Good!

[@sigglass2183]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms Have you heard any new statuses of this building as of this writing whether it will be demolished or converted and reopen?

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

@@sigglass2183 No I have not.

[@gibco25-offical56]

Any response?

[@Faraday1056]

Just curious do you get permission from the owners of these old schools to do this?

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Always. I never go in or on the property unless I have permission from the school district and/or legal owners.

[@Faraday1056]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms ah ok thanks for replying

[@weatherdan882002]

Another classic building simply abandoned. Do you know what kind of school it was (Elementary, Middle, High)?

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

It is my understanding that the school originally was a High school, then used as a Middle school. Shortly before the school was closed it was also used as a Elementary school.

[@weatherdan882002]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms Wow, that sounds exactly like the abandoned school building here in town. It was originally built in the early 1910s as a high school (which my grandmother attended), then became a middle school in 1965 (which my mother attended), then became an elementary school in the 80s which my brother and I attended and the building closed in 2003.

[@ZakWolf]

I am also amazed they were still using the 1950s Autocall panel even after that new gym was added in 1980. Usually when something like that happens, the entire existing fire alarm system gets replaced with a new one to make things consistent throughout the school.

[@firealarmtechguy4444]

I have a 80% chance to get an entire 4002 system from my local fire alarm center. If the project approves, make that 100%

[@SylvieonPiggyFan29YT]

thats Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences

[@iimepad4606]

My high-school was built in 1856! I wonder if they still have some remains of past fire systems somewhere.. (The fire alarms are new ones that just make a siren noise, not as impressive as the older bells and horns..)

[@csxrailfan5107]

My god your highschool must be made of wood this school was around during the freakin civil war

[@Swxcoyxte]

That is a great and beautiful school

[@emmareporter4324]

great video! my elementary school built in 1911 has some est system with notifier bells on continuous i attended that school from 2011-2019 [from kindergarten to seventh grade]. now i'm in 8th grade in high school this one has some est system with bells on continuous [forgot the brand] that was probably added in later as the school was built in 1958 fire drills have scared the crap out of me. what i do when we have one is if i have my laptop out: take it and shove it in my backpack which is usually right beside me on the floor then exit with my class with my backpack. if its already in there i just put my backpack on and go go go! also that panel is really cool and the various other autocalls i've seen in your videos cheers for now!

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Thank you for watching and for your comment.

[@emmareporter4324]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms yeah no problem i'm excited for what's next on the channel!

[@fyrelite07]

Everything has a History, this school did, and now no longer has history to make up for. Also I seemed to notice a Simplex T-Bar at 7:18 . Very interesting. And it is also very interesting that the school still works. I noticed that a black Exit Sign with Red LED Lettering was still on at 7:29. I am surprised that they didn't cut the power to the grid for that school! But it is still sad that such a beautiful piece of history was abandoned and put to waste D: .

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Surprisingly the power was still on in most of the building. With that said, many circuit breakers had been turned off to most of the building. It took me sometime to find the ones I needed turned back on so I could get enough light to film. Simplex pull stations were added in the 1980's when that new, ugly gym was built to extend the fire alarm system. Interestingly enough, the Simplex pull stations were wired into the old Autocall control panel. Mixing new hardware with old hardware is very common in most older schools, especially if additions to the old building are added.

[@GBA4848]

My School Was Built In 1911

[@willardcrafto]

1:51 The spires fell off!! Why couldn’t they just put new spires and polish the domes?

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

They were having many maintenance issues with the copper domes. Seams were breaking open allowing water to come in when it rained. It was also very costly to repair the copper domes..

[@SRCVintageElectronics]

At least they attempted to blend with the design in the 1951 addition. Who thought building the gym that way was a good idea?

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Obviously who ever designed the new gym didn't give a damn about blending it in with the old architecture. Cheap and sloppy looking for sure.

[@alexandersalarms5380]

Nobody agrees

[@sigglass2183]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms What if the gym used the same kind of materials to blend in the existing building? Would it make a difference?

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

@@sigglass2183 It certainly would have helped.

[@willardcrafto]

I dont know why they would put the gym on there like that. Also I prefer the look of the copper onion domes more than the hipped roofs. Maybe someone could Put new ones on there to look like the original ones.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Yes, I agree with you. The copper domes looked so much better. Can you imagine what it would cost today to replace with new copper domes.

[@willardcrafto]

Probably a lot of money.

[@vintagesimplexfirealarmsof6440]

I have same thing near me there's a abandoned school for years and my grandmother went there and she's in her 60s now it was a elementary school I bet the fire alarms are old

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

It would be great to get in and see.

[@vintagesimplexfirealarmsof6440]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms I want to peak in a window of that school some odd reason I am not saying location due to private reasons

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

@@vintagesimplexfirealarmsof6440 This school has 24-7 security and is patrolled around the clock.

[@FrozenFan765]

Speaking of 10" Autocall bells, my friend ordered some Pizza, he ordered me a 10" Pizza, which is funny because I own a 10" Autocall bell. They'll be a video on my Channel about it. It's gonna be epic

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Looking forward to it.

[@FrozenFan765]

Do you like Pizza? I do

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

@@FrozenFan765 Of course, especially Gionino's pizza.

[@FrozenFan765]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms That's good, I haven't had Gionino's in years. I'm eating some Little Caesars right now

[@elevatorswithESH]

At least the power was on to the building and you were able to get the system working. I like the bell sounds way better than the horns

[@thefranchise713]

Stunning video, what's the music that plays around @2:00?

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Thank you for watching and for the complement. The music was from a soundtrack archive that my father recorded sometime in the 1980's. My father unfortunately did not document the name of the music.

[@gregbouchard414]

U do a rally good job on KZbin keep up there good work on KZbin am a big supporter of u do a rally good job on here I we can be friends with u do a rally good job on here keep up there good work and I hop we can be friends with u do a rally good job on here

[@denmakenlo890]

Its so sad how such beautiful buildings get abandoned only to be replaced by cheap uniform newer buildings that just dont have any real feel to them

[@Lil-P6113]

What a shame that they shut down these beautifully constructed buildings and build what they deem to be better. No real reasoning behind it, only that they ‘think’ it is better. Putting down historic technology for new is probably one of the worst things to have taken place in our world. Things built and constructed back then were designed to last, not to be replaced in a year. #misstheoldschoolvibe

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

So very true.

[@sprez534]

I see your point, but most old technology is harder to use and more inefficient. Developing better technology is needed in order to advance as a species

[@sigglass2183]

@@sprez534 Not every new kind of technology surpasses old technology.

[@bigsebby3799]

@@sprez534 ​ ​ ​ I see u man, but who cares ab efficiency n technology these days? Y can’t we just use the technology from anytime without em being forgotten or not cared ab or demolished like this big old beauty shown in the vid?

[@michellebertrand7702]

I hope this school isn’t set for demolition.

[@allenahlemeyer2806]

I lived in Algonquin area 29 years I attend old Dundee Crown High School is beautiful remodel this old school stand on the hill in Caperensville Illinois looking over the Fox River and the valley servicing the community many years to come. We up grade new fire alarms code. We have wheelock voice message gentex and senor systems alarms OTTO Company donated moneys to old Dundee Crown High School for remodel and old towns to fix old house in Carpernsville West East Dundee and Algonquin downtowns in Chicago Sub. Crystal Lake Central remodel their school two years ago looking great when I was in cross country and track field team Dundee Crown and Crystal Lake Central share the same team and same Fox Valley Conforence. Two old high schools Crystal Lake Central and Dundee Crown still standing with new face lift. Crystal Central Tigers and Dundee Crown Charges. I'm happy two old school is still serving the surrounding towns.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Thank you for sharing your story. I love it when communities come together to restore and/or renovate older buildings for future generations. It doesn't happen enough that's for sure.

[@furbynerd7]

The music gets creepier the more close he gets to the pull station

[@bigsebby3799]

R they completely insane of demolishing this magnificent historic school building?!

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

The building has not been demolished yet. There is some talk that it may be turned into a Senior living center. Time will tell.

[@bigsebby3799]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms Good to know! Gimme some updates if u can! 😀👍

[@tpmartin210]

I live 1.7 miles from Springfield Hospital Center (Carroll County, Maryland) and it is abandoned, and probably dangerous to enter because of the toxic chemicals/fumes, like lead. But it would be cool to explore inside of it

[@xtremestegosaurus3504]

imagine watching this in VR

[@FireRescue80]

That would be awesome.

[@Petmaster_100]

I seen a abandoned TILECO in Zanesville OHIO built in 1926 or 27 closed down in 1967

[@Skulldozer25]

7:08 This part made me cry, but seeing this is sad.

[@johnsidlauskas3838]

Greetings Old School Fire Alarms, I just love old schools like this, so sad to see a lot of them go! In the video at 5:42 you showed a picture of the fire alarm panel, (im not sure if you are into clocks) BUT, directly above it to the left a little bit was to what I believe was a power supply for a Standard Electric Time Co Clock! I love love love those things! I wonder if you took more pics, it would be cool if it were still there seeing as they still had an older version fire alarm.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

I am sure that the original Standard Electric Time clock hardware is still there. This particular school is now privately owned and I do not know what will become of the building .

[@Vigilance108]

according to this video, the school building isn't too far gone compared to Hotchkiss which is a complete loss and well beyond repair

[@emmareporter4324]

renovation exists btw my school built in the late 50s is gonna get replaced with a new one further up the road by building the new one there and tearing down the current building

[@jonuthinslawncareandconstr7772]

I live in a house that was built in 1920s and it's still here in 2020 cuz no one bothers mess with me

[@erikthepirate8068]

The Old Abandoned Fire Alarm will work again, Mark my words.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Actually, the old fire alarm system was working beautifully before I left the school. I activated the pull rod several different times and it triggered the electric Autocall bells every time.

[@erikthepirate8068]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms I thought it's going to sound like a siren but nope It's just a fire bell.

[@Rliang7070]

It's sad how this KZbinr that has amazing content stopped posting for some reason 😪

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

I'm still here. I am working on a new video that will be posted soon. So stay tuned.

[@Rliang7070]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms ok 👍 thank you

[@CanadaMapleleaffanvacationin]

so sad. 😭 goodbye School old

[@Joshuaiscool2023]

There this really neat school in my home town of Georgetown Kentucky that’s this a school that’s been here since 1927 it used to be a high school and middle school and it used to be a pre school and now to this day it’s now an elementary school it’s about a four level school with a basement and a sub basement and it’s a big school and it’s still open and optional and it’s still in good condition it’s located right in downtown Georgetown Kentucky but you would have to come do a video for it because it’s a really nice school in Georgetown Kentucky and it’s the oldest school in the county and town we have nine elementary school three middle school and two high school and one pre school and then we have a catholic school that’s been here a very long time called St. John’s catholic school and Georgetown Kentucky has been here for a very long time and it’s was founded in 1700s we have our own college called Georgetown college and it’s a beautiful campus there mascot is the tigers and you would have to come Tour it and and the school that we have in Georgetown Kentucky is called Garth elementary school and there mascot is the buffalo and it’s still optional and open it’s been here since 1927 this profile picture is where I’m at is at Garth elementary school and in Georgetown Kentucky I’ve lived here my hole life born and raised but now I’m in college at Georgetown college I’m studying to be in fire fighting and ems I’ve been wanting to be a fire man since I was a little boy and now I’m going to college and gonna be in fire and ems for my home town of Georgetown Kentucky I wanna be a part of the community and save my people and saving life’s by battling fires and just doing anything with fire or ems but that’s what I wanna be after college but come to Georgetown Kentucky to tour our campus and our school we got a new high school that we just got built this year and it’s called great crossing high school and we have a new elementary school called creekside elementary school those are our new school that we have that just got built this school year but our public school are called Garth elementary school western elementary school eastern elementary school southern elementary school northern elementary school stamping ground elementary school lemons mill elementary school anne mason elementary school creekside elementary school and then our middle school are called royal spring middle school Georgetown middle elementary and Scott County middle school and then our high school are called Scott County high school and great crossing high school and cardinal Academy school and Elkhorn crossing school that’s like a vocational school and then we have one per school called Scott County pre school and then we have private school called St. John’s catholic school and then we have private Christian Academy school and then we have a trade school called bctc it stands for blue grass Community technical college and then we have Georgetown college that’s our Maine campus and that’s all our school in my home town and my state and county so I just thought I would let you everyone know that

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Hello Joshua and thank you for your post. As you may know, I only document schools that are at least 50 years old and contain very old fire safety artifacts. It is not physically, economically, or logistically possible for me to visit all the schools throughout the United States. Thank you again for your interest and support. Best Wishes

[@Jon-hx7pe]

with all the stuff going on, i hope you'll be able to continue making videos like these.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

More are coming to be sure.....stay tuned.

[@sigglass2183]

Any update on this school as of this writing?

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

The status of this school is exactly the same,

[@FrozenFan765]

What's the difference of an Autocall RF10 Bell vs an Autocall R10 Bell?

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

That's a good question and I'm not really sure. If I had to guess, it probably has something to do with the time period when the bells were manufactured.

[@TheJakeman789]

Very good video, love the music and ominous feel.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Thank you, most appreciated.

[@relevanteaglealarms109]

There’s a fire alarm station on the back 7:18

[@csx6025gamer]

I believe that’s a simplex t bar that replaced the broken pull rod

[@ZakWolf]

I'm betting it was installed in the 1980s when the gymnasium wing was added on. They probably put in a Simplex 2001 or 4002 fire alarm system or something, tied into the old Autocall system in the original structure.

[@MyColorLPS-]

and the fries are not French it's Belgian that's all because the Americans say French fries I know it's Belgian since I'm 1 hour from Belgium

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Merci apprecier toi en train de regarder mi videos.

[@MyColorLPS-]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms thank i like your videos the presentation is well done we understand everything really bravo cotinu like that I have always been a fan of American fire alarms and daileurs it is this channel that made me discover this wonderful school this channel too and these alarms

[@fansjeovannamichaeljacksonfans]

So sad school 🏫😢

[@denmakenlo890]

The gym just left and ugly blank wall

[@thomasm.longiii3752]

This is a beautiful and wonderful history. I bet this school was wondering during its heyday. I hope this don’t get demolished. I know many old ones have been demolished and I know some of it might be so kids can be in a healthier school and environment. Though I just don’t understand why they couldn’t have made the old schools better and healthier rather then destroy them. Even though I understand new schools look different. Old school may not be the best but they have great history. Of course the guy Tom Tom (or was originally Thomas Long on the other KZbin page) is me. I still haven’t decided whether to close that page or keep it since I use this one now and rarely go on the other page.

[@samanthashafer1742]

Honestly some contractors probably think it's easier to demolish rather than deal with asbestos removal. Shame really, schools aren't built like this anymore

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

@@samanthashafer1742 What you have said is so very true. But there are other reasons why many contractors would rather demolish an old building and build new, instead of just renovating the old building. Removal of asbestos is actually a small reason. The true and real reason boils down to money. New construction with cheap building materials and cheap labor ( non-union sub-contractors) saves the General contractor more money. It also allows the General contractor to pocket more of the money. Renovating an old building takes higher skill to maintain the original buildings aesthetics and integrity of the original design. Therefore, it can cost more money in labor cost and building materials. For example, many new schools are built with cheap cinder block on the outside and cheap drywall on the inside. The cinder block will start to degrade much sooner then say, kiln fired brick that may also be glazed. This type of brick is far superior to cinder block. The old schools used kiln fired brick and the walls were built at least two feet thick or more on most old schools. No cheap drywall, the interior walls were hand troweled thick plaster. I could go on and on with so many more examples, but the bottom line is, old schools were built much better and stronger then the new schools being constructed today.

[@iangraves9440]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms you know it's interesting, cuz the schools in my town even though not one of them was built before 1959, with the latest one being built in 2018, they all mainly use brick and actually do have two foot thick walls, so I think the builders that build our city schools actually care about quality.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

@@iangraves9440 That is extremely rare and an exception to the rule.

[@iangraves9440]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms I'm coming back here kind of late but I think they build them to last in our district because our district has grown so quickly that they really can't feasibly demolish any schools because it would lead to so much overcrowding that it would be detrimental to them. So they build these new schools to last so that they don't have to deal with space crunches (not that they don't already).

[@ThePurpleMage1]

You mentioned in other comments how this building is now privately owned. Is the original fire alarm system still in use? Was it scrapped? Was it salvaged?

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

It has been almost two years since I have been in this building, so I have no idea if the fire alarm system is still there. To the best of my knowledge the system was not removed and/or salvaged.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

@@neohistoryfan1014 This is the first time I have heard about this. I would say that these two fires look very suspicious. Especially if the two school buildings were owned by the same person. Sounds like burn for insurance money to me.

[@The_A_Cast]

There’s no way to try to sneak and pull that alarm 😂

[@NVHSChadSheppard1]

That trip bell is loud with just 1 “ding”

[@FireAlarmsofNortheastKansas]

Did this school have some Simplex alarms put in at some point? I saw a Simplex pull station at 7:17 and a horn about 10 seconds later. Also, that Autocall panel gave me some nostalgia to one of the first videos I ever watched. It was your video from about four or five years ago of a panel with similar trouble bells and had the 4030 style horns instead of bells. Thanks for uploading this!

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Yes, in the 1980's Simplex pull stations were added to extend the system and wired into the old Autocall panel. Great observation !

[@theray2009]

I didnt see a horn

[@Lil-P6113]

Love the sound of the Old School Alarm! Back to the 🔔, gets my vote!

[@VintageCollections]

Love the old panel! Also, did you happen to see the fallout shelter that’s indicated to be in the school by the sign in the picture at 4:15 by the left side of the door?

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Most older schools that were constructed at the turn of the century (early 1900's) were designated as fallout shelters. This particular school was no exception. The lower levels of these older schools were where people would go during a disaster. Thank you for watching.

[@VintageCollections]

@@OldSchoolFireAlarms thanks!

[@ItzmehJoseph]

The bell sound like from my school

[@FEDERALSIGNALTECH]

I'm surprised that Ohio schools are not on the national trust for historic preservation especially the old ones believe me the Old schools in Pennsylvania are on the national trust for historic preservation.

[@OldSchoolFireAlarms]

Pennsylvania is better at preserving more of their old schools then Ohio. With that said, Ohio has and does preserve some of their old schools, but certainly not enough.

[@FEDERALSIGNALTECH]

Especially the ones that are designed by famous architects like FRANK LLOYD WRITE even though my high school was designed by a prododege of FRANK LLOYD WRITE and it's still used today many things have changed since I graduated from the building but it seems like prododege knew it would last good many years in a matter of fact my school district was supposed to consolidate by the end of 2020 but didn't due to one the districts where in det but some day this will happen in elk county Pennsylvania the ST MARY'S AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL BE ELK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT SOMETIME INTO THE FUTURE. I'M GLAD IT DIDN'T HAPPEN YET; BUT AS I SPEAK ST MARY'S AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT IS IN THE PROCESS OF CLOSING BENNETT'S valley elementary school due to the decline of students that attend the school not to mention that my class had over 300 students back in 2009

[@FEDERALSIGNALTECH]

Bennett's valley is now closed and it's sold to the JAY TOWNSHIP AUTHORITY not sure what is going to happen to the building hopefully it won't be torn down and I remember when I was young I was in the building gym for a play about Lucille ball.