(click “Watch on Youtube” since twoplyboy disabled embeds on his videos for whatever reason)
I’ve always (or at least since I rediscovered & really analyzed it some years back!) found this particular video of twoplyboy’s fascinating for at least two reasons: #1: The message he plays on the system’s voice panel: it literally comes on a cassette tape, showing the system’s age, it’s quite long-winded, it has background music, & it lays out proper emergency response procedures for building occupants while also allowing testing of the speaker circuits & speakers to make sure they’re working properly, all quite unusual among voice system messages. #2: The system itself, with a supposedly-unknown model Mirtone FACP & an equally-unknown Mirtone voice panel (the latter of which appears to be mounted in a (maintenance?) closet-type room, interestingly enough), along with strobeless Wheelock ET-1010-R(-ULC?) speakers (which, despite being usually meant for outdoor or otherwise weatherproof applications, are mounted indoors on this particular system!). Also note the substantial amount of tape on the main panel’s piezo & how loud it is despite it! (in addition what do you suppose twoplyboy’s doing when he flips that key switch on the voice panel & why doing so causes a trouble on the main panel? (my only guess is that he’s turning on manual control of the voice panel’s tape player, which might remove automatic control of it from the main panel, thus causing a trouble on the latter to remind you to return the key switch to the “AUTO” position when finished) That same system can also be seen in better detail in this video, & according to my research it’s apparently a Mirtone “Q-series” panel (which the “separate voice panel” might actually be part of going by some sources saying that the Q-series is supposedly voice-capable: if that is the case said voice circuitry is apparently only housed in a separate “room” next to the panel due to it taking up so much space!).
I’d like to talk some about the message in particular, including what I know about it:
It had to have been created no earlier than 1988, as the background music track heard in it, “Tapestry” by “J Archer”, was released in 1984, & Ottawa (supposedly the city the video was filmed in a building of going by what sounds like the message saying “Ottawa Fire Department” several times, not to mention the phone number mentioned in the next thing) started using 911 in 1988: the message mentions 911 multiple times (the system that plays it in the video however may be much older considering it uses cassette tapes as previously said)
It mentions a phone number, “564-1671”, at the end, which today is the number for the city of Ottawa (though the message says that it’s for the “Fire Prevention Bureau” specifically, which might have been (or heck might even still be!) a division of the Ottawa city government)
The music in the background (“Tapestry” by “J Archer” as mentioned previously) is (for some reason) pitched up by approximately 1% from its normal pitch, & starts from the beginning again once the second French part starts around 3:56 (though the song clearly loops before then since the 1:00 portion is heard just before it restarts)
I believe I’ve successfully transcribed most of the message despite the video’s several interruptions in hearing it clearly:
“Ladies and gentlemen, the staff of the (unintelligible) regional counseling (party?), are conducting a test of the emergency voice and communication system. The test, is being performed in accordance with the Ontario Fire (inaudible, “Code”?). To (assist?), the (unintelligible, “Ottawa”?) Fire Department has provided a (unintelligible) message, on fire safety, for your (building?)” (probably the same thing in French) “If you discover a fire in your apartment, it is most important that you act quickly, and coherently. The lives of your family and neighbors, will depend on the actions you take. Leave the area of danger immediately, closing all doors (unintelligible). Sound the fire alarm using the nearest pull station. Telephone the (unintelligible, “Ottawa”?) Fire Department, from an area of safety. 9, 1 1: give them the building address, the floor number, and the exact location of the fire. Don’t assume that someone else has called, the fire department. In a fire emergency, do not use the elevator. Instead, make your escape through a safe exit stairway. Once you are out, do not return to your apartment until the fire department declares that it is safe to do so. If you are in your apartment, and hear the fire alarm, turn on (maybe “off” instead?) all (unintelligible, “appliances”?). Then, feel the apartment door before you attempt to open it. If warm, do NOT open it. Remain in your apartment. Seal all openings using wet towels, sheets, or even clothing to prevent the smoke from entering. Telephone the (unintelligible, “Ottawa”?) Fire Department, 911, and give your exact location. Take refuge in a room with an outside window. Open the window for ventilation, and signal for help. Remain calm. If the apartment door is not warm, open it cautiously. If the hallway is free of smoke or heat, leave your apartment, making sure to close the door behind you. Use one of the exit stairways. Do NOT, use the elevators. If smoke is present, try another stairwell. Once you have reached an area of safety, telephone the fire department, 911. Do not assume, that someone has done so already. If smoke is present in all stairwells, you may wish to return to your apartment. Once there, seal the door, telephone the fire department. Open a window, and signal for help. If you have any questions, about evacuating procedures, or, fire safety in general, contact the Fire Prevention Bureau: 564-1671, or, building manager” (probably the same thing in French)
To the Canadian life safety enthusiasts here in particular (including several I know: @EdwardsFan, @El_Chupacabra, & @ConorTheFAguy6): do you have anything to say about this? (including if you happen to know anything about the message or system in question, (also) including if you ever heard the former or saw the latter yourself in person (even if it’s not the same exact one)
On another note, I really wish twoplyboy could be asked if he knows or remembers anything about it, or even just check in the comments section of the video for evidence there, but as you know his entire channel fell victim to the whole COPPA thing some years back, which disabled the comments on all his videos, & twoplyboy doesn’t have an email address listed on his channel either (not to mention the fact that he hasn’t been active on it in years as well), so our chances of getting any info from him are slim (unless someone has/knows of a way of contacting him of course).
The system looks like a QSII. If I’m not mistaken, the components housed in the “closet” are the amplifiers, while the components in the lobby cabinet are the controls for the voice system. I’ve seen photos of Mirtone amplifiers mounted in red freestanding cabinets, which Mirtone called “central equipment racks”; a cabinet of this type is visible within the closet in the other video. Given their bulkiness, it was likely more typical to place the amplifier cabinets in electrical or mechanical rooms. Interestingly, none of the other QSIIs I’ve seen online featured a cassette deck.
The panel shown in that video only appears to control voice communication, as I don’t see any 790 fire alarm system components—perhaps they’re in a separate cabinet, or perhaps this voice system is paired with a different fire alarm panel. The photo below, which I found online years ago, shows a QSII with 790 fire alarm system components (in the left cabinet):
The first name sounds like “Ottawa-Carleton Regional Housing Board” (a name that likely hasn’t been used in well over two decades). This matches the name mentioned in the French version of the message, “Commission régionale de logement d’Ottawa-Carleton”.
The second name does indeed appear to be “Ontario Fire Code”, as the French version of the message refers to the “Code de la prévention des incendies”.
Oh okay, thanks: wasn’t sure of the exact model since all I could find in my searches were the individual components that make up the panel. What do you suppose twoplyboy is doing when he turns the key switch on the one amplifier? (switching control of them (as well as the tape player) from “auto” to “manual” like I guessed?)
Oh okay, huh: had no idea that it was just a voice panel & nothing more (though perhaps the lack of zone indicators & such should have clued me in).
Ah okay, neat. Does that alone reveal the (likely former given its age) location of that exact system? (since Google gives me one specific address when I search “Ottawa-Carleton Regional Housing Board”) I also take it, given “Ottawa-Carleton Regional Housing Board” hasn’t been used in well over two decades as you said, that that may narrow down the creation date of that message more (I guessed no earlier than 1988 going by Ottawa adopting 911 that year & the message mentioning 911 multiple times, along with also containing an Ottawa-related phone number at the end like I said).
Ah, thought so: would’ve been clearly audible had that door not squeaked loudly when it did.
Any other parts of the message that you can “interpet” or that I got wrong? (including if the message does indeed say “Ottawa Fire Department” several times: for some reason (for me at least) that’s the one part of those parts of the message that I just cannot make heads or tails of) Do you seem to recognize the guy reading the message as well?
I unfortunately can’t tell. I don’t see any markings near the keyswitch, and the “tape unit” LED that lights up on the control panel doesn’t give much information.
I’m unable to find information about the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Housing Board online. It was likely one of the predecessors of the city’s current community housing organization, which owns and manages multiple properties and was formed in 2002.
I believe it’s indeed “Ottawa Fire Department”. The third sentence sounds like this: “To assist, the Ottawa Fire Department has provided the following message on fire safety for your benefit.” Unfortunately, the quality of the recording makes it difficult to decipher the unintelligible parts with great certainty. I don’t recognize the voice of the person reading the message.
The format of the message reminds me of prerecorded safety announcements heard on airliners prior to takeoff.
Oh okay. I guess then for now we can only speculate as to what it does/what it’s for then (I’ll stick to my theory about it being an auto/manual key switch for the amplifiers & tape player).
I don’t mean that exactly: Google “redirects” you to the current “Ottawa Carleton Regional Housing Authority” when you search that, which also gives you an address seemingly related to them, that’s what I meant by that.
Ah okay, yeah.
Oh? Alright.
How about my theory on when the message was made? Does the likely timeframe seem to be no earlier than 1988 with the evidence that’s available? (which I laid out at the start of this topic)
Yes, 1988 seems like a good estimation given the mention of “911” in the message. I’m particularly amazed that you were able to identify the song in that recording!
I sorta am too, especially after repeated initial attempt failures. I couldn’t have done it without one of the three song finder apps I use for music identification though: Shazam, Beatfind, & Google (forget which one found the song but yeah).
The voice also sounds like the “EST Guy” from the IRC-3 and newer panels! Maybe he could have done work for Mirtone in the '80s making these custom tape deck test announcements (because EST bought Mirtone out eventually, after acquiring FAST and at the end of Edwards GS?)
Wait really? If that truly is the case I’m not sure I ever noticed that!
Sort of: General Signal Corporation, Edwards’ parent from 1962 to 1998, were the ones to acquire Mirtone in 1988, 4 years prior to FAST merging with Edwards to create EST in 1992 (which I guess might mean that Edwards now technically owns whatever’s left of Mirtone).
That lines up with our timeline…if the “EST Guy” truly recorded with the message, he must have done past voiceover work for Mirtone, until 1988, when this message must have been recorded, after GS acquired Mirtone (along with the EST Guy as an ex-Mirtone employee.) Then, he did the messages for the IRC-3 in the 1990s, which are still used to this day.
Wow: I seriously never considered that possibility! To me though something seems off between the two: the voice actor who recorded Edwards’ default male messages sounds slightly higher-pitched & somewhat “younger” than whoever recorded that Mirtone message. What if the latter was recorded by a third-party rather than Mirtone themselves as well? (especially since all they would need would be a suitably-sized cassette tape)
