Vtual European Cultural Centre
- European study of the everyday culture -
Telecommunications
Fire
Fire
Sometime on a Sunday in June 1973, the day was especially nice for spending it in the garden. In
the housing estate "Am Torbogen" in Seidnitz, all flats have got a little garden. Thus, enjoying the
lovely summerday with a book in a canvas chair in the garden suggested itself. There was a
relaxed busyness in the surrounding gardens. In front of his garage, a neighbour was washing his
"Trabi". In other gardens, people were caring for their tomato-plants or looking after their
strawberries. Elsewhere, neighbours were chatting at the garden fence. The sun was warming
and time spun away. Exactly this atmosphere was it which attracted to the garden.
And it was truly beautiful in the garden.
Unnoticably, time passed by much too quickly. Now, if the Sunday roast
was already standing on the stove and left alone then this could quickly raise a a problem. Maybe
some herb for the roast was missing and caused to go to the garden. But sometime, even the
most patient stove or roast goes wild. When the first plumes of smoke from the kitchen window of
the neighbouring house gave a hint at the situation, nobody paid attention yet. But when larger
clouds indicated serious dangers, the placid garden setting was set in motion. Of course all
garden friends startled. In a hurry, the cook tried to save the Sunday roast for eatable purposes.
Soon somebody had the idea to call the fire-brigade. But there was a problem. There was no
telephone. Or more precisely, there was a telephone in our house. But this telephone was not a
public one. It was a company telephone of the fire department. It is sort of weird, but this phone
was not really suited to report a fire.
The nearest fire alarm box was at the corner of Dobritzer Strasse/ Bergfelder Weg. It was within 3
minutes walking distance. In case of a fire alarm, the alarm box signalised its position to the fire
station, such that the fire brigade could immediately go there at the necessary speed. After
pressing the alarm-button the reporting person had to wait until the brigade arrived to show them
the way to the real source of the fire.
Up to this point, so much time had passed by already that the Sunday roast was more than
roasted. After cleaning the room from most of the dense smoke, the men of the firemen could
declare quite officially that danger was over and dinner had to be cancelled due to the missing
roast. In this case everything ended well. But it is so much better to have a telephone – mobile or
not – at hand when there is some danger and the fire brigade must be called.
