Trip the Horses 1 : (1) Formerly, the automatic release of horses from their stalls when a fire alarm was received. (2) To turn out a fire company in response to an alarm
Ralph W. Burklin & Robert G. Purington, Fire Terms: A Guide to Their Meaning and Use, National Protection Association, Boston, MA 1980 USA. (Guide: Meaning and Use, Nat Prot Association Fr Srvc - Amer) {457}