Providing Commercial & Residential Services - Sonoma County Locally Owned Since 1954

Santa Rosa Fire Equipment
Santa Rosa Fire Equipment
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    • Home
    • About Us
    • Products & Services
      • Extinguishers
      • Fire Alarm & Life Safety
      • Fire Sprinklers
      • 24 Hour Monitoring
    • Resources
    • Our Technicians
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Products & Services
    • Extinguishers
    • Fire Alarm & Life Safety
    • Fire Sprinklers
    • 24 Hour Monitoring
  • Resources
  • Our Technicians
  • Careers
  • Contact Us

SRFE History

Thank you sign for local firefighters

SRFE has been committed to being a locally owned and community partner in Sonoma County since 1954.   


Fire alarms that are installed in many homes and businesses today are very complex. They incorporate a series of sensors and the latest technology to detect fires quickly, and in many cases, they are designed to alert the authorities right away about the presence of a fire. They can save lives, reduce property damage, and give you the peace of mind that comes along with knowing that you have a fire alarm installed in your home or business. 


  

Who Invented the First Fire Alarm System?


The history of fire alarms begins with the first fire alarm system way back in 1852 by Dr. William F. Channing and Moses Farmer. The system consisted of two fire alarm boxes that each had a telegraphic key and a handle. If a fire was detected in a home or business, someone would have to reach inside one of the boxes and crank the handle in order to send an alert about the fire to a nearby alarm station. An operator at the station would then take the message and alert a fire department about it so that they could send help. As you can see, it was quite a process and required several steps.


The first electric fire alarm system was invented almost four decades later in 1890 by Francis Robbins Upton. He recognized that, in most cases, people wouldn’t have time to stand around and crank a handle inside of a box when a fire started. His electric system eliminated the need for this step. Surprisingly, the design for his system wasn’t all that popular when it was first introduced, but over time, people started to realize the need for a more advanced fire alarm system like this one.


Since then, fire alarm systems have changed a lot, and today, home and business owners really don’t have to do anything except evacuate the premises during a fire. Even basic fire alarm systems are designed to send an alert to a central alarm station, where an operator will quickly check on your well-being before sending help from a fire department to check on your home. The entire process is much quicker than it used to be, and modern fire alarms have become a must-have for many people.




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Antique fire truck with a large bell
Vintage fire alarm box with a hammer to break the glass and activate the alarm
Vintage fire alarm with a built in metal hammer to break glass and activate the alarm
One of the first fire alarms from 1857, disassembled to show its inner workings
Antique manual fire alarm
Vintage fire alarm bells
Vintage fire alarm which locked the person who activated it in place
View inside of a vintage fire alarm

3636 N Laughlin Rd., Ste 180 Santa Rosa, CA 95403    CL# 361669 C16

Copyright © 2021 SRFE, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

3636 N Laughlin Rd # 180 Santa Rosa CA 95403

Please call 707-503-0245 / 707-546-0797 or email us at info@srfei.com 

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