Professionalcar.org - Latest Comments

Re: Community Ambulance and the infamous “Tuna Trucks”

FireMedic447 — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 22:02:25 -0000

I was a Paramedic in Gladstone (North KC) in 1978. Never forget seeing a Community Ambulance for the first time.

Physician's Exchange, Community, and (I think) 'TSSI' (Transfer & Standby Services, Inc), and probably some others merged, rolled around a while, and eventually emerged as the Metropolitan Ambulance Services Trust (MAST) in the early 80's. Mike Hicks, retired Fire Chief in Lee's Summit would have better details.

Grammar correction, though: 'wench' is a female servant. 'Winch' is a motorized drum with a cable wrapped around it.

Re: Clint Cole, “The one man Miller show”

Barbara Caserta — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 13:52:09 -0000

Enjoyed reading the article about Clint "Professor" Cole. He truly was an a a a gentleman and a loyal friend and someone to look up to. Thank you for this recognition of the "Professor".
Tom Caserta

Re: Too many trailers.

Dean N — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:55:08 -0000

While I can appreciate your sentiment, and I applaud the HCCA folks for driving their cars more than a good number of clubs do, I was mainly referring to the experiences that people miss when they trailer their vintage cars places. And more specifically I was talking about vintage professional cars, which were working vehicles when new and not built to be coddled and trailered everywhere. I understand that pre-1916 cars are not really suited for the highways of today, but 80-120 miles on a day tour with a group of similar cars where you have assistance and support available is quite a bit different than taking a road trip in a vintage vehicle. I drive my 1960 Ambulance TO the shows, and that means I'm out on the highway meeting folks, and sharing the car with a whole new group of people that might not normally be exposed to these cars. I make a 500 mile one-way trip (8 hours on the road) to CA from AZ for shows usually twice a year. And while I'm at the events, my ambulance is my daily driver. I don't have a tow vehicle that I can use to run around wherever I'm staying. 80-120 miles on a tour is better than nothing, but its still a day trip, and not a road trip. As long as folks do what they enjoy that's great. I'm just suggesting that folks pull the cars out every now and then and put some real road miles on them. As I said in the article, getting there becomes MORE than half the fun.

Re: Too many trailers.

Durcodude — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:24:26 -0000

The writer obviously is not familiar with the HCCA where most members must trailer their cars to drive them on tours in different parts of the country. Most original prewar cars are not driven to these touring events. This does not mean their cars are trailer queens. On the contrary, HCCA members typically drive their pre-1916 cars 80 - 120 miles per day for several days on such tours.

Re: Too many trailers.

Truck guy — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 21:48:14 -0000

A great quote that I like is "If you don't drive them, then you might as well collect clocks"

Re: Goodhew

Mike buttemer — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:42:01 -0000

Larry that was unit 62.The beacon switch ws funkey.to activate it you had to push the switch half way.

Re: Museums Of Funeral History

Bowser988 — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:09:43 -0000

what about the musuem of funeral history, located in indpendence, missouri, operated by lee ward, a still-active practioner of over 50 years, which also has free tours by appointment and is continuously recieving donations and additions to it's already extensive collection of industry and industry related aftifacts

Re: Museums Of Funeral History

John Hempel — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:24:41 -0000

There's one in Falköping, Sweden (S central Sweden, between Stockholm and Göteborg), at the Fonus Casket factory. Among other things they have a '32 Volvo hearse. http://sverigesradio.se/sid... Search Fonus begravningsmuseet for more.

Re: A Restoration Done Right

Randy Dumont — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:44:19 -0000

Nice job Louie! I remember driving that old beast around the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valley's. When I was still an EMT a kid we nicknamed Opie (short-white-red hair) was driving it with me riding shotgun. We were getting on a circular Southbound I-5 on ramp somewhere in Burbank and he drove so slow we had about 10-15 cars tailgating us. As we took the loop on the onramp I looked over to all the cars piled behind us and I swear I was ready to die from embarrassment. It felt like we were leading a funeral procession in that Caddy! That must have been in '81 or '82. I became a medic (still am) in Dec. '82. I saw you last at Jim Page's funeral service. It was good seeing Kim's name posted in your story! Randy

Re: Its supposed to be Fun!

Papasmurfpb — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 03:45:01 -0000

The economy has made people cheap as well. One excuse after the other, from gas prices to general maintenance... Im in that category as well. The drama among certain clubs only further keeps coaches of the road. There's no reason to go to an event to be name called and bashed and made fun of by the people running the clubs... When nobody bothers to show up anymore, people stop putting forth the effort, and the club suffers. Smaller clubs are started to keep the hobby going, but are then looked at by the older coach clubs as "rivals" and are treated as such, which further drives the steak between the enthusiasts.

Re: Goodhew

Larrywood17 — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 12:17:04 -0000

I worked for Goodhew in 1974 thru 1975. Does anyone know the unit number of this ambulance.
I drove #37-23-66-as far as cads that I remember. 30's were compton, 20's southbay, 60s, downtown where nobody wanted to work. We had chevy vans, chevy suburbans, and cads. The cads were the best but the vans were fun when it was busy busy in Compton. larrywood17@yahoo.com
thanks

Re: Federal Electronic Sirens

mike wagner — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 18:13:40 -0000

The NYPD used the Federal Model 66 and the Model 28 undercover version same siren just not chrome. In 1972 they went with the Federal Interceptor.

The sounds you hear on TV aren't really coming from the vehicles most of the time they are sound tracks and don't match the time period quite often.

Re: A Restoration Done Right

kent rogne — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 13:41:58 -0000

Hey! Thats my old unit 747!! Yep bought it new from Superior Western back in April 1978. It was a albatross, so that's why I got rid of it. It ran great, but it leaked, had 2 headliners put in, and my EMT's kept on getting into fender benders with it. I Called Paul on day at Superior and asked if he would put it on consignement for sale.

I drove it down to them in L.A. and He sold it to Rand a month later. I didn'd actually sell it because of a bankruptcy, but did replace the car with a new Dodge Stoner Van later that month. I sold my company in January
of 1982, and continued running the Limo Service I had as well. The Company is still running today in Sacramento, and Vallejo by Medic Ambulance of Vallejo, Ca. I think they pulled out of Rancho Cordova in 1999,
due to a loss of 911 contract overtaken by Sac metro Fire.

The car was a nice experiment, but just didn't fit in. I kept my 72 and 74 I bought from Goodhew (Stew Stern), and my 76 Cad as well. and a bunch of Stoner van's. I loved Stoner Ambulances..nothing better in my book!

Re: History: Funeral directors & Ambulance Service

Jerry — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 16:10:44 -0000

Much of your article is true, although some areas were a little slower in dumping the ambulance service. I worked for a funeral home in 1969-70 in East Texas, and we still ran ambulance. They did not give it up until about 1975 or later. True, it was given up due to the FLSA requirements among other things. Funeral homes may not have been as well trained, but many took better care of the patient after the call. They were looking down the road toward the day the patient (or a family member) died. The funeral home where I worked took chairs, coffee urns, coffee, cups, etc. to the deceased person's home for their use at no charge. Everyone who worked at the funeral home stood call at night for ambulance or transport service. What fun for an 18 yr old kid!

Re: Federal Electronic Sirens

Kevin hedrick — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:28:24 -0000

Question: what is the siren used in those old nypd shows like Mcloud.

Re: The Flower Car

gary morse — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 21:52:01 -0000

i think they are so cool the first time that i saw one i thought that someone had made it till i hit the books! for real books these comp werent out yet;the 2007 flower car is also a looker

Re: Federal Electronic Sirens

Mark — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 07:03:59 -0000

Hi, I ran Federal PA200 and PA20 Interceptors in the in-between mode for years and never damaged a siren. We called the in-between sound "welp" It was a huge attention getter at intersections. We all did it on our equipment and never had any damage.

Re: Federal Electronic Sirens

Ken — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:54:12 -0000

Hello
I heard the early PA-20 series sirens in "yelp" but am wondering; why do they sound different from the siren of Buford Pusser's car in the "Walking Tall" movies or some of the cars on "Police Story"? Did they create the sound effect by putting the pre-E PA-20 in manual several times? I also heard a volunteer's siren sound almost exactly like that too when I was driving out of a small Georgia town.

By the way I read an ad which depicted an electronic siren speaker (at the time the PA-10 came out) as similar to the Model 66 mechanical siren. Odd.

Re: Electronic Sirens – A discussion.

Dennis Toerpe — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:58:52 -0000

I noted you do not list the very latest PA-20. I have one I bought NOSNIB in '93 from E-One, it's a fully loaded (with crap) Interceptor with burglar alarm and a shared mic with the two way radio (bet THAT got some leo's killed). This one bears SN#2E55122 and the board (stuffed!) lays in it soldered side up, w. some mini molex connectors and such on it's component side. Masssive soldered to board selector sw. Did in between sounds well then over time developed a fault w. siren tones. Great site you have here. DT

Re: The Flower Car

Tom D. — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 23:12:35 -0000

The Flower car was first built in The Chicago area where the Flower car started. New york and the east coast now has more Flower cars in service than any other citys, but Chicago was the first. I own 3 Flower cars at this time. Always looking for more.

Re: History: Vintage Medical Devices

steve c. — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:31:43 -0000

Great article, BUT, there is no way the old E+Js pumped 40 POUNDS of pressure into lungs. Most of those were regulated at the first stage to 20 or so. Delivery to the lungs would have been 1 psi or less. That 40 probably refers to cm or water column. Possibly mm Hg, but I doubt it.

Amazingly, I lived thru and used a lot of the stuff pictured too! -SC-

Re: Federal Electronic Sirens

Don G — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:59:48 -0000

Hey guys Federal Signal sent me the instruction manual for the pa10 I wired it up and it works great!

Re: Federal Electronic Sirens

Don G — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:50:54 -0000

I have a pa10 but I'm missing the wiring plugs I can get it to power up but don't know where to wire the cp25 speaker I don't want to short anything out, can anyone help? Thanks

Re: The Flower Car

Dale — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 17:20:51 -0000

My family owns a 1940 Lasalle/Sayers & Scovill Flower car . Rarely taken out of our barn,it will some day undergo restoration. Every part of the car is original from the white walls to the V8 with 51K miles.This article has ben insightful and I would be interested in talking with similar car owners.

Re: History: Vintage Medical Devices

KA Turner — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:53:03 -0000

Mr. Farah:
Well done! I hope we see more posts and articles about old EMS. It's frightening that I LIVED through some of this progress.

One clarification I'd like to make is that the E and J Lifeport III was actually a Lytport III. I've even found a Fire Engineering magazine with the device advertised. How many firemen were grateful for its development I cannot imagine.

E and J also made the humongously heavy resuscitators preceding the Lytport. E and J became Ohio Chemical. If I remember well Life Support Products took their emergency respirator product line over. From there.... Emerson also manufactured iron lungs and was taken over by Respironics. Respironics stopped supporting the few iron lung devices that were sustaining polio victims a few years ago. They were in turn bought out by Philips.

Another thing I noted is that the prone-pressure manual method of artificial respiration was used with many resuscitators/inhalators in the Fifties and earlier. But weren't resuscitators used on non-breathing patients even before the demand valve?

I've also read about ambulance attendants, when riding in the back of old ambulances with the manifold-powered suction units, requesting the driver to modify his acceleration based on when suction was applied. I found out why when injecting Seafoam into the loosened brake vacuum hose of my old Honda!

Take care
KT