Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Watch what might be the world's oldest dashcam footage from 1926]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/05/watch-what-might-be-the-worlds-oldest-dashcam-footage-from-1926/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/05/watch-what-might-be-the-worlds-oldest-dashcam-footage-from-1926/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/05/watch-what-might-be-the-worlds-oldest-dashcam-footage-from-1926/#commentsFiled under: ,



The archives of the Fire Department of New York has released footage of a borough department responding to a fire in 1926. In the first of two silent videos, the camera is mounted on the car transporting Fire Chief John Kenlon from the Brooklyn Fire Department to a storage warehouse fire on East 123rd Street. Kenlon's name comes up frequently in the rise of the FDNY during the early part of the 20th century. The date of the video is given as April 24, 1926, and it was not only a remarkably snowy spring day, it could be the first dashcam video ever.

The second video takes us through the entire process of a fire call, from the fire alarm - placed in a box on the street - to the call going to the Manhattan Fire Alarm Telegraph Bureau and then being sent to the stations, and the department fighting the fire.

The low-res screencap above shows the hood of Kenlon's vehicle, with a clanging bell at the front, driving on the sidewalk among pedestrians to get to the fire. As you'll see in the videos below, the situation on the actual roads was just as chaotic as the driving. So is the footage playback itself, which repeats and plays upside down and backwards at times, but we think is worth every second.

Continue reading Watch what might be the world's oldest dashcam footage from 1926

Watch what might be the world's oldest dashcam footage from 1926 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 05 Jan 2013 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dash camdashcamfdnyfire chief john kenlonfire departmentlive leaknew yorknew york citynew york fire departmentnycvideovideosSat, 05 Jan 2013 19:01:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20416797/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2013/01/05/watch-what-might-be-the-worlds-oldest-dashcam-footage-from-1926/20416797/article-detail.xml 20416797 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/01/dashcamfire1926_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/01/dashcamfire1926.jpg <![CDATA[Watch bystanders try to put out fire on transporter full of new Volkswagens]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/04/watch-bystanders-try-to-put-out-fire-on-transporter-full-of-new/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/04/watch-bystanders-try-to-put-out-fire-on-transporter-full-of-new/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/04/watch-bystanders-try-to-put-out-fire-on-transporter-full-of-new/#commentsFiled under: , ,

VW transporter conflagration - video screencap

Watching a small fire that no one can stop from becoming a big fire is like watching a train wreck in Super Slo-Mo. That is the spectacle we get from a rural two-lane road in Poland when a transporter truck hauling seven Volkswagen Passat wagons catches flame.

The cause appears to be some sort of tire or axle failure on the trailer that starts a small fire under one of the cars. For unknown reasons, no one among the bystanders has a fire extinguisher, so they try to put the flames out with snow. That doesn't work, and then when it takes 12 minutes for the volunteer fire department to arrive in their vintage Mercedes-Benz pump and get the first stream of water shooting - almost five minutes before the state fire department - the conflagration is big enough to cook cattle and s'mores for Zeus.

The transporter inferno is on the long side at 23 minutes, but you'll find it all in the video below.

Continue reading Watch bystanders try to put out fire on transporter full of new Volkswagens

Watch bystanders try to put out fire on transporter full of new Volkswagens originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Jan 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>firefire departmentlive leakpassatpassat wagonpolandtransportervideovideosvolkswagenFri, 04 Jan 2013 19:30:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20416796/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2013/01/04/watch-bystanders-try-to-put-out-fire-on-transporter-full-of-new/20416796/article-detail.xml 20416796 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/01/vwtransporterfire_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/01/vwtransporterfire.jpg <![CDATA[BMW showcases range of police, fire and paramedic vehicles at RETTmobil]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/12/bmw-showcases-range-of-police-fire-and-paramedic-vehicles-at-re/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/12/bmw-showcases-range-of-police-fire-and-paramedic-vehicles-at-re/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/12/bmw-showcases-range-of-police-fire-and-paramedic-vehicles-at-re/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

BMW X3 emergency vehicle
BMW X3 emergency vehicle - Click above for high-res image gallery

With its SLS AMG first-response vehicle, Mercedes-Benz may have gotten our attention, but it's hardly the only automaker offering specially equipped emergency vehicles at the RETTmobil expo this year in Fulda, Germany. While Mercedes used the Gullwing to highlight its range of emergency vehicles, BMW is relying on the strength of its full model range to speak for itself.

Among the vehicles BMW is showcasing for the first responders and local government officials visiting the trade show this year is a 5 Series Touring with lights and sirens controlled directly from the iDrive system, and with a specially designed load floor extension with built-in fracture points that allow first responders to access all their equipment while reducing injury in case of a rearward collision.

In response to numerous fatalities caused by traffic colliding with police cars stopped on the side of the road, BMW is also showcasing a specially prepared X3 that is inherently easier to see due to its taller form, and also features additional LED lighting for increased visibility.

There's also an R 1200 RT paramedic motorcycle on display that integrates such features as radio equipment, siren, PA system, strobe lights, fire extinguisher, front crash bar and an electrically adjustable windscreen direct from the factory. Other vehicles on display include X1 and X3 crossovers and 3 and 5 Series wagons for police, fire and paramedic applications, along with the eye-catching 123d police car prepared by AC Schnitzer and the X6 ambulance we reported on back in 2009. Check 'em out in our high-resolution image gallery.

Continue reading BMW showcases range of police, fire and paramedic vehicles at RETTmobil

BMW showcases range of police, fire and paramedic vehicles at RETTmobil originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 May 2011 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1 series3 series3 series touring5 series5 series touringambulancebmwfirefire departmentfuldagermanymergencypolicerettmobilx1x3x6Thu, 12 May 2011 08:32:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19937850/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/05/12/bmw-showcases-range-of-police-fire-and-paramedic-vehicles-at-re/19937850/article-detail.xml 19937850 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/05/web630-x3-emergency2_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/05/web630-x3-emergency2.jpg <![CDATA[Stuttgart EMS gets a pair of Porsche Cayennes]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/09/stuttgart-ems-gets-a-pair-of-porsche-cayennes/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/09/stuttgart-ems-gets-a-pair-of-porsche-cayennes/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/09/stuttgart-ems-gets-a-pair-of-porsche-cayennes/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Stuttgart EMS Cayennes

Porsche has delivered two customized V6 Cayennes to the Stuttgart fire department, both heading into service with the city's EMS unit. Like the Cayenne emergency vehicles built in the past for use at Porsche facilities, the new EMS trucks have been modified to carry a stretcher and a variety of medical equipment. GPS tracking lets home base know where the trucks are at any given time, while pedestrians and other drivers are told to get the Hell out of the way with a new siren that adds a hiss to the mix, supposedly making it easier for people to determine which direction the truck's coming from. As for the rest, it's your basic ambulance tech: flashing lights all around and high-visibility white-and-orange paint. Plus, if Germany ever decides to host ambulance drags, the Stuttgart team is in good shape right off the bat. (Hey, if it's good enough for news guys...)

[Source: Porsche]

Continue reading Stuttgart EMS gets a pair of Porsche Cayennes

Stuttgart EMS gets a pair of Porsche Cayennes originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Sep 2008 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cayenneemsfire departmentFireDepartmentparamedicporscherescuestuttgartTue, 09 Sep 2008 09:28:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1308801/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/09/09/stuttgart-ems-gets-a-pair-of-porsche-cayennes/1308801/article-detail.xml 1308801 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/09/cayenneems_450_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/09/cayenneems_450.jpg -1 2