As we know firefighters have long been good at making due with what they get. Sometimes too good. That’s why in Detroit with a firehouse alerting system that relies on a fax machine, one of the most important components is a soft drink can.

Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press:

Detroit is so broke that firefighters get emergency alerts through pop cans, coins, door hinges, pipes and doorbells.

And they make these gizmos themselves — one involving a pop can that gets tipped over by an incoming fax. The clink of the can means there’s an emergency. Then there’s the chain-reaction gadget: a fax hits a door hinge, which then tugs on a wire, which then sets off a door bell.

“It sounds unbelievable, but it’s truly what the guys have been doing and dealing with for a long long time,” said Detroit Deputy Fire Commissioner John Berlin, adding that technological upgrades are long overdue. “We’re in desperate need. We’re probably 30 years behind.”

Berlin’s comments confirmed Friday’s testimony by a consultant for the city who said during day four of Detroit’s bankruptcy trial that technological upgrades are long overdue in the city.