1968 radio tape from Boston FD

http://bfdradio.net/Audio/4-6243%2068-09-06%201148%20Bennington%20St.mp3

6 minutes ... multi alarm fire in middle of night in Orient Heights in
East Boston

sounds to me that someone had a receiver on 33.74 somewhere in Boston
... maybe at one of the fire stations ... the dispatcher is loud and
clear at all times but some mobiles are barely readable at times ...
mobiles in east boston were loud and clear

or maybe this IS a tape from the dispatch office ... but that does not
seem to be as likely .... I would think that the dispatch office
would have heard ALL of the mobiles much better than what is on the
recording

the radio channel is no doubt 33.740 Mhz FM

there was no radio coverage in the tunnel going from downtown to East
Boston back in those days so units notified the dispatcher when they
came out of the tunnel ... but not when they went into the tunnel ...
if the dispatcher could not reach someone via CH1 they would assume
the unit was in the tunnel I am sure

actually 2 tunnels ... sumner and callahan ... from downtown to eastie
and from eastie to downtown ... dont ask me which is which lol

fireground traffic was probably on 153.89 "Channel 2" ... iirc they
had a fair number of portable radios by 1968

this recording is maybe not in real time ... maybe it was recorded
with the help of a voice activated switch which cut out the dead
spaces between messages but cut off the very beginnings of some
messages

no doubles! lots of messages passed but no one walking over each other
... some roaring motors and blaring sirens also

dispatchers sometimes end messages with the time

Engine 40 Wagon and Engine 40 pump ... eng 40 used to be at Eng 9
station ... eng 11 used to be at eng 5 ... no mention of Revere FD
which was close to the scene ... Eng 43 and Ladder 20 used to be at
Fire HQ on Southampton St ... 1960 issue ... my recollections ...

eng 40 was still in service in 1977 iirc ...I saw them when walking
from south station to the nfpa at 470 atlantic ave ... I mentioned
seeing Eng40 to joe redden and he exclaims to everyone "I think we got
a buffalo here!" ... lol ... all the public protection division guys
went down to the first floor for coffee at 10am daily .... I was the
sumer intern ... bob barr and timothy ?sullivan? was also there ...
tim sullivan was recent fire engineer grad ... from univ of maryland
iirc ... bob barr was from the california state fire marshall office
... he was living in arlington iirc ... ? ron mellot ? might have been
there earlier in the summer ... he was from portland oregon I think