Squad 51 is a 1972 Dodge D-300 truck, one of three identical body-style rescue squad vehicles ("squads" or squad truck) that were used in the filming of the television series Emergency! Later models were retrofitted with 1972 model year grilles, so that the extensive stock footage filmed of the squad on city streets could continue to be used.
Because of the tight filming schedule, Universal Studios decided to build the vehicle entirely from scratch according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department's specifications at that time. After the filming of Emergency!, Universal Studios donated Squad 51, and it was used as a reserve paramedic vehicle by the LACOFD. In 1999 the title was transferred, and Squad 51 was then donated to the Los Angeles County Fire Museum in Bellflower, California. In the same year it was thoroughly and completely restored by the museum, at a cost of approximately $30,000. Squad 51 is now residing with its co-star in Emergency!, Engine 51, which completed restoration in 2012.
Squad 51 also made appearances in the hit TV show CHiPs at times including season 3 ep.17 "E.M.T.".
Plans call for the museum to completely restore all of the period equipment used during the filming of Emergency!
In 1999, Project 51 took off along with Squad 51 and many of the cast members from Emergency!, and made appearances in Southern California, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas, Chicago, Long Island, Baltimore, Hyattsville and Washington DC.
On July 9, 2011, on the apron in front of Station 127 (which doubled as "Station 51" during the series), the newly restored 1973 Ward LaFrance Engine 51 was unveiled next to its old running mate, Squad 51. Thousands of people from around the world were in attendance. [1]
Emergency! is an American action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing two situation comedy series, The Partners and The Good Life, it ran for a total of 122 episodes until May 28, 1977, with six additional two-hour television films during the next two years, 1978 and 1979.
Commer was a British manufacturer of commercial and military vehicles from 1905 until 1979. Commer vehicles included car-derived vans, light vans, medium to heavy commercial trucks, and buses. The company also designed and built some of its own diesel engines for its heavy commercial vehicles.
The Chevrolet C/K is a series of trucks that was manufactured by General Motors from the 1960 to 2002 model years. Marketed by both the Chevrolet and GMC divisions, the C/K series encompassed a wide range of vehicles. While most commonly associated with pickup trucks, the model line also included chassis-cab trucks and medium-duty trucks and served as the basis for GM full-size SUVs. Through its entire production, the model line competed directly against the Ford F-Series and the Dodge D series.
The Ford E-Series is a range of full-size vans manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company. Introduced for 1961 as the replacement of the Ford F-Series panel van, four generations of the model line have been produced. Marketed for both cargo and passenger transport configurations, the E-Series has been designed with multiple design variations for both retail and commercial sale, including vans, and commercial-grade cutaway van chassis and stripped chassis.
The Ram pickup is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by Stellantis North America and marketed from 2010 onwards under the Ram Trucks brand. The current fifth-generation Ram debuted at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, in January of that year.
The Dodge Power Wagon is a four-wheel drive medium duty truck that was produced in various model series from 1945 to 1980 by Dodge. The Power Wagon name was revived for the 2005 model year as a four-wheel drive version of the Dodge Ram 2500. As a nameplate, "Power Wagon" continues as a special package of the four-wheel drive version of 3/4 ton Ram Trucks 2500 model.
The D series is a line of pickup trucks that was sold by Dodge from October 1960 to September 30, 1993. The same basic design was retained until the October 1993 introduction of a completely redesigned Ram. The D/W series shared its AD platform with the Dodge Ramcharger/Plymouth Trail Duster twins. Two-wheel-drive (4×2) models were designated D, while four-wheel-drive (4×4) models were designated W.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) provides firefighting and emergency medical services for the unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, California, as well as 59 cities through contracting, including the city of La Habra, which is located in Orange County and is the first city outside of Los Angeles County to contract with LACoFD.
American LaFrance (ALF) was an American vehicle manufacturer which focused primarily on the production of fire engines, ladder trucks, and emergency apparatus such as ambulance and rescue vehicles. Originally located in Elmira, New York, the final iteration of the company was located in Summerville, South Carolina. It also operated a plant in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where it sold apparatus under the name LaFrance-Foamite, until 1971.
The Dodge 50 Series, later known as the Renault 50 Series, were light commercial vehicles produced in the UK by Chrysler Europe and later Renault Véhicules Industriels between 1979 and 1993 as a replacement for the earlier Dodge Walk-Thru stepvan and smaller Dodge Spacevan cab-over van. The Dodge 50 series utilized the same cab as the American Dodge B series vans, however in a modified state catered for European regulations. The chassis however was British-designed and had no parts shared with the American van, being significantly bigger.
Engine 51 is known for its time in the 1970s TV show Emergency!. Engine 51 is actually two very different fire engines. Both Engines 51 sit in the Los Angeles County Fire Museum right next to the famous Squad 51. The museum is building a new facility that will house the Squad 51 in Carson, California, where the show was filmed.
The Ford C series is a range of trucks that was produced by Ford between 1957 and 1990. The first cab over engine (COE) truck produced with a tilting cab by Ford, the C series replaced the C-series COE variant of the F-Series, produced since 1948. Produced as both a straight/rigid truck and a tractor, many versions of the C series were produced, ranging from Class 5 to Class 8 GVWRs. The C-series was also used as a basis for fire apparatus production.
Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) trucks were mutually coherent ranges of military trucks, made in large numbers, in several classes and numerous versions, by Canada's branches of the U.S. 'Big Three' auto-makers during World War II, compliant to British Army specifications, primarily intended for use in the armies of the British Commonwealth allies, but also serving in other units of the British Empire.
The GMC CCKW, also known as "Jimmy", or the G-508 by its Ordnance Supply Catalog number, was a highly successful series of off-road capable, 21⁄2-ton, 6×6 trucks, built in large numbers to a standardized design for the U.S. Army, that saw heavy service, predominantly as cargo trucks, in both World War II and the Korean War. The original "Deuce and a Half", it formed the backbone of the famed Red Ball Express that kept Allied armies supplied as they pushed eastward after the Normandy invasion.
A multi-stop truck is a type of commercial vehicle designed to make multiple deliveries or stops, with easy access to the transported cargo held in the rear. They first appeared in the United States in the 1920s. They are usually vans or trucks designed to be used as fleet vehicles by businesses within local areas.
The Dodge WC series is a prolific range of light 4WD and medium 6WD military utility trucks, produced by Chrysler under the Dodge and Fargo marques during World War II. Together with the 1⁄4-ton jeeps produced by Willys and Ford, the Dodge 1⁄2‑ton G-505 and 3⁄4‑ton G-502 trucks made up nearly all of the light 4WD trucks supplied to the U.S. military in WWII – with Dodge contributing some 337,500 4WD units.
Crown Firecoach is a nameplate used for various types of firefighting apparatus manufactured and marketed by Crown Coach Corporation in Los Angeles, California, from 1951 to 1985. Although sold primarily in the West Coast region of the United States, other examples of the Firecoach were sold to fire departments in Hawaii, Illinois, and New Jersey, as well as in Mexico and Kuwait.
The Los Angeles County Fire Museum is a public museum dedicated to the history of the Los Angeles County Fire Department in Los Angeles County, California. The museum has 60 antique fire engines in its collection, including fire engines from the 1860s through just-retired apparatus. Its location for public exhibits is at 16400 Bellflower Blvd, Bellflower, CA, on the ground floor of the Bellflower Mayne Events Center. The museum is open four days a week.
The fourth generation of the C/K series is a range of trucks that was manufactured by General Motors. Marketed by the Chevrolet and GMC brands from the 1988 to the 2002 model years, this is the final generation of the C/K model line. In a branding change, GMC adopted the GMC Sierra nameplate for all its full-size pickup trucks, leaving the C/K nomenclature exclusive to Chevrolet.