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 In September 1971, NBC agreed to purchase
and broadcast a two-hour World Premiere and six one-hour episodes
of a proposed new television series to be called “Emergency!”
The series was to feature two Los Angeles County firefighter/paramedics
who would be assigned to the fictional Squad 51. (That number
was selected because the L.A. County Fire Department had no
Station 51 at the time). The World Premiere was scheduled
for broadcast in January 1972.
To create a new series and produce six
to eight hours of original, entertaining TV content in less
than four months was unheard of. But Executive Producer Robert
A. Cinader accepted the challenge, assembled the cast and
production team, supervised thousands of details, rewrote
scripts, and met the deadline with hours to spare.
 One of the biggest hurdles was finding
vehicles that could be used by the crew of Station 51 –
specifically a triple combination pumper for Engine 51 and
a small truck with utility body to be used as Squad 51. After
making an arrangement with the fire department, Universal
Studios created adhesive numbers (“51”) that could
be placed over the regular numbers of Engines 127 and 60.
These were identical Crown pumpers; one was stationed at 127’s
in Carson (the station depicted as “51”) and the
other was at Station 60 on the grounds of Universal Studios.
At the time, the L.A. County Fire Department
operated 27 rescue squads. Except for a van-type training
rig (Squad 59) all of them used the small truck chassis (either
Ford or Dodge) with utility bodies, and they were each staffed
by two firefighters. At the time, only two of the regular
rescue squads (18 and 36) had been converted to paramedic
units but the department was gearing up to convert all of
the squads within three years. In addition, the Department
owned a number of reserve rescue squad vehicles.
In filming the World Premiere of “Emergency!,”
Universal Studios rented a reserve squad vehicle from the
fire department. Meanwhile, the transportation and property
departments at Universal Studios were busy preparing for the
weekly series that was to follow. From Chrysler they received
a new (1972 model) Dodge one-ton truck chassis. They asked
the Fire Department to sell them a utility body that was identical
to the ones used on County rescue trucks. The County Mechanical
Department replied that it would take four to five months
to construct one. Instead, the studio asked for and received
the blueprints for the body. The craftsmen at the studio built
the body in less than a week.
Even though Squad 51 began work as
a film star in 1972, the registration for the vehicle lists
it as a 1974 model. Probably, the Chrysler Corporation considered
the truck as new, unsold stock until 1974 when they transferred
title to Universal Studios. The Museum Association has the
original Department of Motor Vehicles registration document
from 1974.
 During the six years she was used in
filming “Emergency!’ Squad 51 was pampered on the
outside but she was abused mechanically. There were thousands
of cold starts; during a day of filming, the engine rarely
reached running temperature before being turned off to wait
for the next scene. Many scenes required sharp, slow-speed
turns and maneuvers that took their toll on the front suspension.
When filming of “Emergency!”
ended in 1978, Squad 51 was donated by the studio to the fire
department. For several years, the vehicle sat outdoors at
the training center in East Los Angeles. On occasion, when
the department ran out of reserve units, she would be pressed
into service on a temporary basis. All the while, the paint
dulled and rubber tires, suspension bushings and window moldings
hardened and cracked.
In 1998, we requested that Squad 51
be donated to the Museum Association by the County of Los
Angeles. Eventually, a resolution authorizing the transfer
was approved by the County Board of Supervisors. In 1999,
in preparation for Project 51’s national tour and donation
ceremonies at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC,
CLAFMA supervised and paid for a frame-off restoration of
Squad 51. The restoration cost nearly $30,000, funds that
were generated mostly by Museum Association membership dues.
Squad 51 now looks and runs better
than new, and it is the single-most popular vehicle in the
Museum’s collection. On the Project 51 national tour,
thousands of people posed for the photos in front the vehicle.
Every year, people from all over North America and other countries
make arrangements to visit our South Gate warehouse and have
their picture taken with Squad 51.
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