[identity profile] thespian.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] davis_square
I just got called by the city of Somerville automatic system (scaring the bejeezus out of me) to tell me that there is a 5-alarm fire happening...somewhere in Somerville. It told me that if I was required to, to call the city back (I assume 'required' are people like EMTs, volunteer firefighters, etc).

Anyone else get called? Know what's going on?

Date: 2008-11-04 08:59 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] m-b-w.livejournal.com
I'm in Davis and just got the same call (don't recall hearing 5 but "multiple") but don't hear anything when I open my window.

Date: 2008-11-04 09:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jcgentry.livejournal.com
Yeah, I just got the same call on both my landline and my cell phone (the latter of which doesn't usually happen). Unfortunately I have no more information.

Date: 2008-11-04 09:03 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] aquaflame16.livejournal.com
I commented on the post that beat yours by 1 minute.
gist: got the call too. WTF? wondering why I got the call, don't know any more, hope everyone got out okay.

Somerville Journal has the same info. we have

Date: 2008-11-04 09:04 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] m-b-w.livejournal.com
http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/news/police_and_fire/x1720637273/Fire-alert-sent

Online Scanner

Date: 2008-11-04 09:04 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] edmokeski.livejournal.com
I got the robo call too, and have been listening to the scanner online. So far all I've gathered is that the fire is on Walnut Street, possibly near Highland Ave. It sounds like mutual aid from Cambridge, Medford, and Everett are responding, in addition to Somerville firefighters. Haven't been able to figure out any more yet from what I've heard. Check the live feed yourself at:

http://www.somervillelocal76.org/index.cfm?zone=/unionactive/view_page.cfm&page=Live20Scanner20Feed

And yeah, the 4am robo call about a big fire scared the bejeezus outta me, too. Wonder what the story is behind this triggering a city-wide robo call in the middle of the night...

Update

Date: 2008-11-04 09:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] edmokeski.livejournal.com
I heard on the scanner that Boston also responded to this fire, but it now sounds like the fire is out. Red Cross aid is coming for ... I think they said a dozen people? Sounds like it was a triple-decker. Also sounds like State Police fire investigators are on the scene and a state Fire Marshall is coming from Everett. I haven't heard anything to indicate that anybody was hurt, but I think EMTs use a different radio channel.

OK, back to bed. Cheers to Local 76 for providing the feed on their site so I could find out that this wasn't happening on my block or anything like that after the mildly panic-inducing robo call.

Now here's hoping sleep returns for all of us!

Re: Update

Date: 2008-11-04 09:45 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] zmgmeister.livejournal.com
> I haven't heard anything to indicate that anybody was hurt, but I think EMTs use a different radio channel.

I think Cataldo's has Somerville FD radios. Its pretty typical in MA for contract ambulances to be dispatched by the local FD and talk on their channel, and they always start an ambulance to all fires.

That said, ambulances have a different radio to call into the hospital, as well as a "company" radio to coordinate coverage for the different towns and details.

The hospital channels are probably not part of the online scanner, as they would have a lot of non-Somerville related traffic, and they would have medical details about victims that are best kept off the net.

Date: 2008-11-04 09:04 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] miss-chance.livejournal.com
I added a link to Som. Journal (http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/news/police_and_fire/x1720637273/Fire-alert-sent) in my post (must having been making it he same time you were making this).

It's got nothing yet, but presumably soon?

Good to know that when the Big One hits, we'll all go to LJ for info first. ;-)

Date: 2008-11-04 09:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] m00n.livejournal.com
Good to know that when the Big One hits, we'll all go to LJ for info first. ;-)

Hahaha! So true!

Date: 2008-11-04 09:05 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] zmgmeister.livejournal.com
Refresh page, there's three posts about the call. I wasn't aware of a -fifth- alarm though, are you sure?

I think it's down by Somerville High.

Date: 2008-11-04 09:38 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] miss-chance.livejournal.com
weird. evening by forcing a re-load by adding a trailing '?' to the URL I get 0 comments showing.

Date: 2008-11-04 09:10 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] zmgmeister.livejournal.com
OK, I'm deleteing my own post in the interest of consolidation ( interesting how mine posted an hour in the future ignoring Daylight Savings Time ).

Current mood: awake

Third-alarm fire at Walnut and Highland?
Apparently there's a big fire down by Somerville High, with Cambridge, Medford, and Boston fire departments also responding.

But why the robo-call? I mean, I'd like the midnight robo-call if it was at least in my ward, but I live pretty far from that end of Highland.

Date: 2008-11-04 09:32 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] duffless2323.livejournal.com
I live in Teele and got 2 robo calls. They are vague and scary, i live a lone and part of me was like oh shit there is a fire. Why wake up the whole town? WTF I'm now wide awake in my coat with my key thinking my neighborhood is on fire. I live in a basement and can't see very well. Grrr.

Thank for posting that it's on the other side of town.

Date: 2008-11-04 09:42 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] miss-chance.livejournal.com
anyone who has emergency skills is supposed to at least check in and see if they're needed

OoooHH! Is that what "anyone require to respond, please call ..." meant?!? That makes more sense than what I was coming up with, thinking that the Robo call would tell you at the end if your were supposed to call back (in the immediate radius or something). Why don't they put a field in their data-base indicating if a person is an emergency responder, then only call them?

Date: 2008-11-04 09:48 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] zmgmeister.livejournal.com
I don't know, I thought the "call back at this number" was a boilerplate thing that came with the system when it was set up.

Date: 2008-11-04 09:32 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] zmgmeister.livejournal.com
Anyway, looks like fire is knocked down now.

Date: 2008-11-04 09:40 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] duffless2323.livejournal.com
Man I think crazy things at 4 am. My first thought when I saw who was calling was "Oh shit, the election is cancelled they killed Obama". The first call had no message.

The second call with a message I thought, hmm my house doesn't seem to be on fire, maybe a psycho killer hacked the sytem and is waiting for me to go outside, i peak outside, no, no house fire,,,,better check DSLJ and surely enough there is information.

oh well time to take my coat off and go back to bed

Date: 2008-11-04 09:44 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] miss-chance.livejournal.com
sounded all the world on the scanner like they said to tell the responding units from neighboring town to "make out, then return home." I'm so 13-years-old when I'm woken up in the middle of the night.

Date: 2008-11-04 09:46 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] zmgmeister.livejournal.com
"making up", not out.

Please don't put a picture in my head. I'm planning to go back to sleep.

Date: 2008-11-04 01:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jamiesquared.livejournal.com
Ohh is that what the middle of the night call was? I heard the caller ID say "city" and I was like holy crap they are calling early to remind us all to vote. The phone scared the crap out of me!

This

Date: 2008-11-04 01:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] winterhill.livejournal.com
is why I come here. I was freaked out too and my mind goes odd places at 4 in the morning, it seems. My theory it was a plot to disturb everyone's sleep so we would all sleep through the early non-line voting.

With no additional info (thanks Somerville Journal) I assume it was a mistake. They surely couldn't have meant to call *everyone* in town, could they?

Date: 2008-11-04 04:53 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] zmgmeister.livejournal.com
> plot to disturb everyone's sleep so we would all sleep through the early non-line voting.

Hmm what do you think this is, Fark.com?

Date: 2008-11-04 01:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] goodkittieavril.livejournal.com
Yeah, I was kinda cranky after that phone call...I thought there was a fire in my building...oh well...haha..

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