Yanno, I always got a kick out of the white uniforms.. White coveralls, white pants, white shoes. I wore my white coveralls on a call once. It's not possible to stay clean. Of any profession, or choice activity, an ambulance is the last place to wear white pants. They must have gone through A LOT of uniforms.
Real Life Ambulance Scene Pictures
- Thread starter Paul Steinberg
- Start date
James Fischer
PCS Member
Chris,
The company I worked for in the early to mid 70's,Superior Ambulance in Sacramento Ca had a ALL white uniform policy...
we had to wear the old school smocks like barbers used to wear with the panel that buttoned up one side and snapped closed at the shoulder then white pants,white belt,white socks,white shoes and our kool weather wear jackets were you gussed it ,white,with a red cross in the front and "Superior Ambulance"in red on the back.
And you are right,it was impossible to stay spotless,ALL crews had to keep a full set of uniforms in the rig at all times.......
If you had a "bad" call,well then you changed at the hospital and were ready for your next call......
On occasion the owner or one of his sons would do a "spot" check to see if your uniform was clean,he would show up at the hospital,or if you code 7 they would stop by there......
We would buy "KiWi' white shoe polish by the case and always kept 2-3 bottles of it in the glove box....
What a headache.........but we looked kool......
Years later when I went to a differant company they wore brown Levi stretch pants and "gold" smocks with white turtleneck "dickies" or turtleneck shirts underneith........I still always worried about my uniform just from the constant worry back at Superior......but was I glad to give that all white look up.
They never did change until the early 90's when they were bought by another company........
Ambulance is confusing. Let's just say it is a '51 and appears ex-military (although not enough detail for me to differentiate between Superior or Miller). With tunnel lights. Without rear side windows. And with something resembling a partition. Unless it is a purpose built rescue rig?
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Store bombing at 246 East Broadway in Long Beach, 1 May 1957, 10:15 pm. Mrs. Shirley Weiss - 47 years (injured); Dr. Maurice Weiss (injured); Officer Garrison Wilson; Detective Paul Kinrade. Photographer: Emery. Reporter: Emery to Gene Bosquet.
Mrs. Shirley Weiss, 47, wife of store owner, entering ambulance.
Mrs. Weiss, left hand shattered & wrapped in compress bandage, sitting in ambulance.
Photos courtesy of Los Angeles Examiner Collection.
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Store bombing at 246 East Broadway in Long Beach, 1 May 1957, 10:15 pm. Mrs. Shirley Weiss - 47 years (injured); Dr. Maurice Weiss (injured); Officer Garrison Wilson; Detective Paul Kinrade. Photographer: Emery. Reporter: Emery to Gene Bosquet.
Mrs. Shirley Weiss, 47, wife of store owner, entering ambulance.
Mrs. Weiss, left hand shattered & wrapped in compress bandage, sitting in ambulance.
Photos courtesy of Los Angeles Examiner Collection.
even at that time the city of Long Beach would most likely be buying a number of units on contract. the interior shot looks to nice for military. the give away for the model is the vertical trim on the quarter. each of the manufactures used a different trim.
Wayne Krakowski
PCS Member
Have to chuckle,nowadays we have scene lights,floods, million candle power hand held lights,look at the last picture 2 flashlights,thats all ya needed,
Horizontal waistline or rocker molding maybe but that vertical quarter trim is unmodified straight off a Coupe DeVille.
If I remember correctly, this is a '55-ish Superior/Cadillac that was a custom build for the Long Beach FD. I remember seeing a photo of it in one of the fire service magazines years ago. It replaced a similar (no side windows, military style) '41-ish Henney/Packard.
Perhaps Mike, Kevin, or another left-coaster has a photo of it...?
Mike McDonald
PCS Member
Long Beach was also a Loyal "PURE MACK" Fire Department for decades including some "sedan cabs" until they couldn't buy them anymore.
It is definately a 54 or 55 Superior Cadillac.
Interesting that the car was fitted with seat belts. I know Ford had them as as option in '56, but when did Cadillac start installing them?
Have to chuckle,nowadays we have scene lights,floods, million candle power hand held lights,look at the last picture 2 flashlights,thats all ya needed,
And nowadays no way in heck the crew would let their patient sit in the front seat of the rig bleeding all over the seat!
Who doesn't appreciate dark over light ambulances?
Reverse lens in taillight combined with exhaust under bumper dictates this is a '51. Waistline molding, etched window design, and license plate mount relay that it is a '51 Superior ambulance.
Caddy is not the ambulance stated below in wreck. Rather, I believe it is referring to the whitewalled Chevy truck base unit whose underside is facing camera.
Accident 109th and Figueroa, 23 August 1951. Gasoline truck and four vehicles in wreck. Ambulance also in wreck. Overall shot of whole intersection showing how four vehicles end up in crash. Note right hand side is sign saying: 'Remember, Safety'. Drivers of automobile and pickup truck were uninjured.
X89698 license above, X80131 below - another SoCal ambulance. Same fleet? Different coach builder - waistline trim, rear window shape/trim, corner lights, and etched panels are all different. (Reason for switching around coach builders in such a short period of time..?) Note 'California' rear window graphics not present in above '51.
Shooting victim booked, 4 March 1952. Harvey Davis and Glen Larson (Ambulance Attendanta); David Shepro (suspect). Photographer: Sandusky. Reporter: Gaze. David Shepro, 17, 1130 18th Street, Santa Monica; Shepro is being transferred to General Hospital prison ward after police, summoned to hospital to investigate victim of gunshot wound, decided to book Shepro when his story of shooting sounded suspicious.
Both photos part of Los Angeles Examiner Collection.
Reverse lens in taillight combined with exhaust under bumper dictates this is a '51. Waistline molding, etched window design, and license plate mount relay that it is a '51 Superior ambulance.
Caddy is not the ambulance stated below in wreck. Rather, I believe it is referring to the whitewalled Chevy truck base unit whose underside is facing camera.
Accident 109th and Figueroa, 23 August 1951. Gasoline truck and four vehicles in wreck. Ambulance also in wreck. Overall shot of whole intersection showing how four vehicles end up in crash. Note right hand side is sign saying: 'Remember, Safety'. Drivers of automobile and pickup truck were uninjured.
X89698 license above, X80131 below - another SoCal ambulance. Same fleet? Different coach builder - waistline trim, rear window shape/trim, corner lights, and etched panels are all different. (Reason for switching around coach builders in such a short period of time..?) Note 'California' rear window graphics not present in above '51.
Shooting victim booked, 4 March 1952. Harvey Davis and Glen Larson (Ambulance Attendanta); David Shepro (suspect). Photographer: Sandusky. Reporter: Gaze. David Shepro, 17, 1130 18th Street, Santa Monica; Shepro is being transferred to General Hospital prison ward after police, summoned to hospital to investigate victim of gunshot wound, decided to book Shepro when his story of shooting sounded suspicious.
Both photos part of Los Angeles Examiner Collection.
Kevin O'Connell - Deceased - 1954 - 2019
February 10, 1954 - May 12, 2019
Okay, this gorgeous '35-'36 Auburn based ambulance is simply stunning. (Grill badge reads 852, which would have been '36. Not to say that it isn't a rebadged '35 851.) Would Crown have been coach builder?
Note (B&M?) siren tucked behind bumper.
Under magnification, license plate appears CA 1935. After subsequently searching online it looks to have served Hollywood Receiving Hospital and was designated G-6.
This car is indeed a Crown Auburn, one of three that were used through the late fifties. The driver's name is John Gaston. It's parked in front of the Hollywood Receiving Hospital, which was actually just a few rooms in the south end of the LAPD Hollywood Division station with its own entrance. For radio purposes, LAPD also numbered their geographical divisions. "G" units assigned to those stations were appropriately numbered, hence LAPD Div. 6, ambulance G-6.
Interestingly, the siren on this car is a friction-driven Model 8F. It was operated by a lever adjacent to the parking brake lever. There was a drive wheel attached to the front of the crankshaft.
Mike McDonald
PCS Member
Who doesn't appreciate dark over light ambulances?
Reverse lens in taillight combined with exhaust under bumper dictates this is a '51. Waistline molding, etched window design, and license plate mount relay that it is a '51 Superior ambulance.
Caddy is not the ambulance stated below in wreck. Rather, I believe it is referring to the whitewalled Chevy truck base unit whose underside is facing camera.
Accident 109th and Figueroa, 23 August 1951. Gasoline truck and four vehicles in wreck. Ambulance also in wreck. Overall shot of whole intersection showing how four vehicles end up in crash. Note right hand side is sign saying: 'Remember, Safety'. Drivers of automobile and pickup truck were uninjured.
X89698 license above, X80131 below - another SoCal ambulance. Same fleet? Different coach builder - waistline trim, rear window shape/trim, corner lights, and etched panels are all different. (Reason for switching around coach builders in such a short period of time..?) Note 'California' rear window graphics not present in above '51.
Shooting victim booked, 4 March 1952. Harvey Davis and Glen Larson (Ambulance Attendanta); David Shepro (suspect). Photographer: Sandusky. Reporter: Gaze. David Shepro, 17, 1130 18th Street, Santa Monica; Shepro is being transferred to General Hospital prison ward after police, summoned to hospital to investigate victim of gunshot wound, decided to book Shepro when his story of shooting sounded suspicious.
Both photos part of Los Angeles Examiner Collection.
In that era (thru the early 90's) any CA Plate beginning with X, Y or Z was a "For Hire" Commercial Vehicle that the CA State Board of Equalization "BE" got a cut of the "take" (gross revenue).
Henney removing casualty from 1/1/52 Rose Parade.
Image from Los Angeles Examiner Collection.
Image from Los Angeles Examiner Collection.
Photo is dated March 1973 Gas Crisis.
Another photo of a 1970 Ambulance from Randle -Eastern of Miami. this time with two flat tires!
John Royark JR
PCS Member
Henney removing casualty from 1/1/52 Rose Parade.
Image from Los Angeles Examiner Collection.
Im sure its just the angle, but it looks like someone missed a big spot on the roof the last time it was washed.
Great eye John! I didn't notice that until you pointed it out.
It almost looks like could have been in the middle of waxing it too, but maybe didn't get a chance to buff that last section off yet...maybe that's what they were working on when the call came in?
Abe