Note the poletop iron three-pin fire-alarm bracket that is mounted on top of the pole in this photo. These are really neat and plenty old...dating back to the early 1900s or thereabouts... These poletop brackets were used throughout the US (and Canada) for fire alarm telegraph loops. Fire alarm circuits originally were mounted on pole tops so that they would not be disturbed from any of the many wires below. These circuits were extremely vital in those days since telephones were not commonplace for calling the fire department. A solid, reliable, dependable method of connecting fire alarm boxes with dispatchers therefore was imperative to the community.

Sometimes wooden or metal stancions holding a wooden crossarm atop early pole lines was practices, too. If the fire district/community had their choice, they preferably strung their wires atop communications poles. Opposed to pole lines that had more volatile electric service lines that sometimes were beneath.

In the later years, covered paired phone cables as well as improved electric distribution circuits eventually made for fire alarm circuits strung lower on poles (typically just above phone and CATV cables nowadays).