Perth Amboy NJ Ambulance Service Card c1940s-60s Fire Dept First Aid HI 2-1333
$ 6.86
Description
Perth Amboy NJ Ambulance Service Card c1940s-60s Fire Dept First Aid HI 2-1333. The card’s design is stark and utilitarian, with no illustrations or decorative flourishes beyond a small, stylized red mark on the right side that may indicate a printer’s mark or a page number. This is an emergency ambulance service card for Perth Amboy, New Jersey, a small but historically significant port city in Middlesex County situated along the Raritan Bay. Printed entirely in a bold, red serif typeface on an off-white or cream-colored paper stock, this card was designed to be kept near a telephone for immediate reference during a medical crisis. The text instructs the user to “DIAL ‘O’ FOR OPERATOR” and “ASK FOR AMBULANCE,” or alternatively, to dial the direct number “HI 2-1333,” which connected to the Perth Amboy Fire Department’s First Aid Squad. The absence of a universal emergency number like 911, which was not introduced until 1968, and the use of the alphanumeric telephone exchange “HI” (likely standing for “Hillcrest” or a similar name) place this item squarely within the mid-twentieth century, most likely between the 1940s and the early 1960s. This was an era when local fire departments often operated the primary ambulance services, and residents relied on printed reminders to navigate the operator-assisted telephone system of the day. The card’s design is stark and utilitarian, with no illustrations or decorative flourishes beyond a small, stylized red mark on the right side that may indicate a printer’s mark or a page number. The paper shows minor discoloration along the edges, with a faint reddish-brown hue on the left side suggesting prolonged contact with an acidic material or exposure to light, as well as slight softening at the corners from handling. The red ink remains crisp and well-saturated, a testament to the quality of letterpress or offset printing used for such practical, everyday documents. This piece of ephemera serves as a tangible artifact of pre-911 emergency communication, documenting the transition from operator-assisted calls to direct-dial telephone exchanges and the municipal provision of pre-hospital care. It offers a specific, localized window into the commercial and civic infrastructure of mid-century American life, where a simple printed card could be a vital link between a citizen in distress and the municipal services organized to respond.
