Could this be the world's oldest dash cam? Film follows firefighters in 1926 as they extinguish a blaze

In the age of viral videos and reality television, almost everyone's seen the familiar angle of a camera shooting from the hood of a police car.

But some filmmakers in the roaring 20s seeking to document New York's fire department may have accidentally invented the 'dash cam.'

After the truck left the station the camera was mounted to the vehicle for balance, giving the footage a 'dash cam' perspective.

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First: This shot from the hood of a 1920s fire truck careening through the streets of New York City may be the world's oldest dash cam video


Blaze: Once firefighters reach the inferno they break out their equipment to battle the blaze

The truck flies down city streets passed pedestrians and cars before the traffic becomes too much and the driver is forced to take to the sidewalk to reach the blaze.

The dash cam moment is just one part of a longer film following New York firefighters as they take on an inferno in 1926.

The film traces every step of a fire department's response from the initial call to attaching the fire hoses.

Once the firemen make their way through New York's streets, the blaze escalates becoming even harder to manage.


Heroes: As the firemen try to keep the fire under control it escalates even higher

Finally the firefights are victorious.

Firefighting in the 20s had become considerably more dangerous than in previous decades with taller buildings and an increased use in synthetic materials.

During this time period firefighters began to use early versions of the breathing apparatus that would later become standard to break through the toxic smoke these new types of fires generated.

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