Emergency Vehicles 12000

Emergency Vehicles

During the early 20th Century, emergency vehicles based on pioneering auto and truck chassis were developed to replace horse-drawn apparatus.  Based on the regulatory needs of cities and municipalities, these vehicles were built to meet the special needs of fire, police, and medical emergency requirements.   Some vehicles were very similar for police needs, but, others were very specialized to suit the needs of the service units they were assigned to.

Over the decades, little has changed in this system of building specialized emergency vehicles.  Usually, police cars and ambulance vehicles may be very similar, but, fire vehicles tend to be specialized based upon the local buildings that the fire brigades must protect.  From passenger cars adapted to these needs to truck chassis and large cranes, emergency vehicles provide rapid response to the local population.  In past history, unique local needs have resulted in the construction of very unusual emergency vehicles.  In this chapter, our intention is to show unique creations that may still be in service or are long forgotten rather than the usual collection of emergency service vehicles small to large.

Emergency Vehicles

During the early 20th Century, emergency vehicles based on pioneering auto and truck chassis were developed to replace horse-drawn apparatus.  Based on the regulatory needs of cities and municipalities, these vehicles were built to meet the special needs of fire, police, and medical emergency requirements.   Some vehicles were very similar for police needs, but, others were very specialized to suit the needs of the service units they were assigned to.

Over the decades, little has changed in this system of building specialized emergency vehicles.  Usually, police cars and ambulance vehicles may be very similar, but, fire vehicles tend to be specialized based upon the local buildings that the fire brigades must protect.  From passenger cars adapted to these needs to truck chassis and large cranes, emergency vehicles provide rapid response to the local population.  In past history, unique local needs have resulted in the construction of very unusual emergency vehicles.  In this chapter, our intention is to show unique creations that may still be in service or are long forgotten rather than the usual collection of emergency service vehicles small to large.