Nov. 2—MAHANOY CITY — Beginning Thursday, the familiar bright red Gamewell fire alarm pull boxes on utility poles throughout the borough will be taken out of service until further notice.

The question came up after Burlington High School Principal Debra Beaupre pulled the fire alarm to break up a fight between students.

When the Massachusetts 911 system for emergency calls stopped working on Tuesday afternoon, Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox noted the city already had a backup solution in place: The telegraph.

While these uses are rare and not something the fire department necessarily encourages, fire alarms can be used in this way. As Fire Marshal, Stone's office investigates manual activation of fire ...

As Fire Marshal, Stone's office investigates manual activation of fire alarms to determine if the use was appropriate and issues tickets when they determine it wasn't.

When the Massachusetts 911 system for emergency calls stopped working on Tuesday afternoon, Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox noted the city already had a backup solution in place: The telegraph.