FDNY Ride Along with Chief Kenlon

This public domain movie, made in 1927is a film of FDNY Chief John Kenlon in his Chief's Car responding to a fire. Present day emergency warning sounds have been added to give it a little life. If there is a valid objection to this video I will gladlly remove it from YouTube

• Category

  Autos & Vehicles

[m173627]

can anyone explain what 3 3 1 4 5 9 decodes as?

I know its the location or type of call or something but more specifically.

[zaffdoc]

>>>---> 3 3 means third alarm. 3459 is the fire alarm box number. Decoded it means that the fire dispatch office was stricking out a 3rd alarm to all fire stations for a fire at or near the location of box 3459 fire. Before radios firefighters would go to the nearest fire alarm box to the fire. Open it up with a special key they all had and inside was a telegraph key. used to send code taps. Here they sent in 3 taps twice and pulled the alarm box sent to the dispachers

[zaffdoc]

>>>---> At the firehouses and dispacth office it was predetermined what each alarm would send in the way of fire equipment. The larger cities with many firehouses would get the same response as the first alarm. Like 4 engines 2 ladder trucks a battalion chief etc. Smaller cities would get a reduction in the number of apparatus they would send on a multiple alarm.

[Thunderbolt505T]

I wish i could drive on the sidewalk! 

[zaffdoc]

>>>---> Well, you can, but you may get arrested.

[ncfirefighter910]

that was some badass driving haha

[medlife07]

It looks like it was a little bit, yeah. To add to the excitement or give it effect I guess. But those cars were still pretty fast!

[shadowwatcher42d]

All the people asking how they could have "dashcams" back in the '20s, This video was originally made with a hand held 8mm spring wound movie camera, or something similar there to, This piece of history was converted to or "re-taped" using modern equipment. I actually saw this film at the FDNY museum back in the late 60s. The Chief's vehicle was equipped with a bell and hand cranked siren. thanks for posting this, brings back times when things were "easier"

[zaffdoc]

@406314 No, The video said the film was made in 1927. Inventors came up with the video concept before World War II (1941), but because of the war it was not implimented until after the war was over and then TVs started showing up in many homes in the early 1950's. Camcorders started showing up in the late 1980's. This movie film was converted to video and that is how you can see it on youtube.

[zaffdoc]

@406314 1939

[zaffdoc]

@406314 1920