‘THEY STILL SAVE LIVES:’ Volunteers trying to keep fire boxes working in northern Schuylkill
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Andy Gudinas, left, and Michael Kitsock show one of Shenandoah's Gamewell fire boxes at Main and Coal Streets on April 27, 2025.
SHENANDOAH – Volunteers are working to keep a historic system they say continues to be a proven lifeline alive in our communities.
Multiple Schuylkill County communities, including Shenandoah, Mahanoy City, and Saint Clair, still have Gamewell box alarm systems in place.
If you’re a lifelong Shenandoah resident, you’ve probably heard the air horns before, counted the blasts, and referred to a hang-tag with the box alarm numbers that doubled as a political ad.
Developed in the late 1800s using telegraph technology, the systems were once the primary way to notify volunteer firefighters in the event of an emergency.
Today, area fire officials say they’re a critical failsafe in the event of a 911 outage or another emergency. Within seconds of pulling a box, the air horns sound a number indicating the location of the box.
“They’re definitely a lifesaving thing,” Shenandoah Fire Chief Rick Examitas told the Sentinel recently. “Maybe some people don’t think that they’re that important anymore, but if it saves one life, or saves many lives, I feel they’re definitely worth their weight in gold.”
The Sentinel sat down with Examitas and two volunteers, Andy Gudinas and Mike Kitsock, who are working towards fundraising and restoring the remaining systems in Schuylkill County.
Kitsock and Examitas shared several stories of how the box alarms have saved lives in Shenandoah area fires.
In another instance, a woman was suffering a medical emergency in Saint Clair — she was choking and couldn’t communicate — and the box alarm summoned help.
“Story after story where these have saved lives and that’s why we’re committed through the fire society to preserving and keeping the systems up and running,” Kitsock, a local volunteer, fire historian, and member of the Schuylkill Historical Fire Society, said. “Not for only historical reasons — it’s great to see the indicators and the stuff from the 1800’s still in operation, but they still save lives.”
“There are a lot of communities that regretted that they got rid of their systems,” Kitsock added.
Gudinas is a paramedic and firefighter working in Schuylkill and Berks counties and grew up in Pottsville. He said he helped Schuylkill Haven restore their system just before the borough decided to scrap it, which he cited as a major reason for his push to keep them active.
“We’ve been putting band-aids on the systems because of lack of funding,” Kitsock said.
Gudinas started a GoFundMe fundraising effort and a corresponding Facebook group, dubbed “The Silent Sentinel.” More than $1,200 has been raised so far. The effort has also led to the development of a challenge coin and stickers featuring a box from Pottsville.
“As far as funding, there’s nothing out there,” Gudinas said. “Municipalities are taxed to no end and can barely afford to keep the places up and running, let alone a system that’s over 140 years old.”
He said the systems are “practically indestructible” and are “more dependable than any car on the road.”
The two volunteers said they plan to start work in Mahanoy City and move on to Shenandoah.
“Mahanoy City will be put back into service,” Kitsock added. The air horn will be placed at the Citizens firehouse. The system was subject to controversy a few years ago.
The Mahanoy City project began a few weeks ago and Gudinas said it’s ahead of schedule and could be done as early as next week.
Shenandoah’s system has had wiring issues and has been having issues for the past few years and the group hopes to have it back up and running.
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