This weeks feature is a 1960's era Emergency Card distributed to the Cutchogue Community. This card is one of many historical items on display in our firehouse.

Prior to any advanced 911 systems and centrally located dispatch centers, all emergencies were reported directly to the firehouse. This practice began shortly after the Fire Dept. was formed continued until the 1990's.

The on-duty houseman would answer the phone and then alert the members of an alarm, via telephone chain, and sounding the horn and siren. This method eventually transitioned to paging and dispatching calls from the firehouse similar to what is done today.

For many years 734-6333 was the emergency number for all Cutchogue residents to remember when the needed help.

In the mid 1990's the traditional 911 system became more commonplace and sophisticated with the arrival of the Enhanced 9-11 system and Emergency Medical Dispatch in our area. In an effort to improve efficiency and response times, the Cutchogue Fire District transitioned to become primarily dispatched by the Southold Town Police Department.

From that point forward the 734-6333 number that residents had known for years would be retired.

Emergencies would be dispatched directly from the 911 center without being transferred to the firehouse, saving valuable time a practice that continues today.

As it has done from the beginning the Cutchogue Firehouse still maintains a daily houseman to handle daily chores, routine phone calls, monitor radio transmissions during alarms and assist the many visitors that come by on a daily basis.

The Cutchogue Fire Department is proud of our 86 years of dedicated service to the community. We are always looking for any old & historical articles representing our past for display on our website and in our firehouse.

If any member of the community has any photographs, newspaper clippings or historical artifacts pertaining to the Cutchogue Fire Department, please contact the website team at cutfd@optonline.net or contact the firehouse at 734-6907.

Photos and clippings are able to be scanned and returned to the owners.

Thank you to everyone who has already contributed to this ongoing project.

Please visit our historical photo galleries:

Historical Articles:
http://www.cutchoguefiredept.org/index.cfm?fs=gallery.gallery&gallery=Articles

Historical pictures:
http://www.cutchoguefiredept.org/index.cfm?fs=gallery.gallery&gallery=Historical