Real Life Ambulance Scene Pictures

Disaster drill in LA - 1970s

All the big names are here...Goodhew, Snyder, and Schaefer. Amber beacons, steady-burn reds, and not a Q2B in sight; pure "California," I'd say!

Note Goodhew's '70 Rescuer coming toward the camera in the first picture. I almost forgot how good a pair of #184-H beacons looked on these cars with correctly trimmed bases...nice!

This set was sent to me in about 1978 by Tom Parkinson. These photos were taken in the very early 1970s at some sort of disaster drill, if I remember
correctly.

(SL collection)
 

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I pulled this excerpt from the B&M Siren siren website. Not only are they the oldest American munufacturer of sirens, they are built by Americans in America.

Our Products are
Made in the USA
All components are sourced from
the USA and Canada

B&M does not utilize foreign sources which
are controlled by repressive governments
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When we exhibit at trade shows, we place a small sign with this statement on our display table.
At a recent show one of the other exhibitors, who is based in China, stopped by
and was looking at our display.

Then he read the sign.

When he got to the last sentence he looked up, smiled very slightly, and walked away.
Guess he got the message.

Rest assured that when you purchase from B&M, your taxpayer's money will not go
to support repressive regimes.

♦

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


B&M Siren introduces a superior, more durable finish:


In keeping with its policy of judicious product refinement, the B&M Siren Manufacturing Company has recently introduced new siren components with exceptional durability of finish. B&M now manufactures its siren stators and rotor tips with type 316 stainless steel, which has been polished to a fine finish. The widely acclaimed Super-Chief sirens now carry streamlined covers also made from highly polished stainless steel, rather than the less durable chrome-plated steel previously used. All new sirens are now produced with these upgraded components and are designated as Series M10.

Careful attention has been paid to all specifications in order to avoid any change to the superior performance of these sirens.

Due to the environments in which vehicular warning sirens operate, their finish is susceptible to weathering, and even corrosion due to road salts and marine conditions. The entire line of B&M sirens is now much more resistant to these ill effects, and will hold a long lasting, beautiful finish with a minimum of maintenance.

The B&M Siren Manufacturing Company was founded in Los Angeles in 1913, and has continuously manufactured warning sirens longer than any other firm. Their superior quality sirens are manufactured completely in the United States, and components are sourced from the US and Canada. B&M does not utilize foreign sources which are controlled by repressive governments.
 
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This shot was taken at an accident scene in 1969:

Unidentified (Cedar Rapids, IA)
1965 M-M combination

(SL collection)
 

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What a hospital ambulance entrance should look like.

'62 Flxible Buick Flxette (Crestview Ambulance)
'62 Eureka Cadillac (Veterans-Prince Ambulance)
'58 Superior Pontiac (Veterans-Prince Ambulance)

Photo taken at Grace Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba around 1968.
 

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This photo of an unidentified '63 Park Row combination at an accident scene came from a collection of slides - from West Virginia - recently acquired by Jim Jordan. I tried to enlarge the door insignia on the police car to see where it was from, but it's too blurry. Does anyone here know of a black firm in WV that ran a car like this?

BTW, the beacon on the Chevy is a three-bulb K-D.
 

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I've seen a pic of the Exclusive Ambulance fleet in Ottawa from the same era and all three were a tan colour similar to the two in the pic from Winnipeg. Supposedly it was the favorite colour of the owner who had served in the desert army...no idea if there was any truth to that or not..
 
Town of Wilton, Connecticut.

1971? 1972? Miller Meteor

6444263851_bf85fb47b6_o.jpg
 
Mike McDonald said:
Nice to see the CA Ambulances from Palo Alto and Silva having proper "BE" (CA State Board of Equalization License Plates) prefixed with X, Y, or W before the number...... that meant that they were properly registered "for hire" units paying a small share of their revenue to the poor old State of CA. (*) Public Agency Rigs would of had EXEMPT (E-Plates)...with a hexagon around an "E" for City-County Vehicles and a Diamond around an "E" for State Rigs. THANKS to all of you for posting these great old pictures! MM
Click to expand...

OUCH ! Poor Caddy . What happened here ? Someone fail to yield for the red lights and siren ? This frustrates even the most seasoned of EMS people . :(
 
Steve Loftin said:
All the big names are here...Goodhew, Snyder, and Schaefer. Amber beacons, steady-burn reds, and not a Q2B in sight; pure "California," I'd say!

Note Goodhew's '70 Rescuer coming toward the camera in the first picture. I almost forgot how good a pair of #184-H beacons looked on these cars with correctly trimmed bases...nice!

This set was sent to me in about 1978 by Tom Parkinson. These photos were taken in the very early 1970s at some sort of disaster drill, if I remember
correctly.

(SL collection)
Click to expand...

These photos are very nice from a day gone by . The only remaining ambulance services in these photos are the LAFD , who took over full operation of the city ambulance in 1970 , when the historic Central Recieving Hospital closed it's doors , and it's ambulances were absorbed into the fire department . Schaefer still remains in operation to this day but Goodhew was absorbed into the giant EMS bureaucracy American Medical Response in the late 1990's . Snyder is another company that no longer exists , but had it's day in front of the Hollywood cameras with their ambulances being used on " Emergency ! " and "CHiPs" in it's early seasons .
 
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Steve Loftin said:
This shot was taken at an accident scene in 1969:

Unidentified (Cedar Rapids, IA)
1965 M-M combination

(SL collection)
Click to expand...

No luck on more info on this pic. No one that I talked to remembered a car like this. All anyone remembered is white late 50s early 60s straight ambulances that an ambulance co. ran.
 
'67 Superior Pontiac - United Hospital, Grand Forks, ND. I shot this from the front seat of my '71 Cadillac Calais coupe back in '73 or '74.

Terry
 

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