If you go to www.fastcompany.com later this month, you’ll see Kurt Hahn standing next to a Mercedes Urban Command Vehicle.
Mr. Hahn is in charge of Cornwall’s Office of Emergency Management. On April 4, he stood in the bay of the Storm King Engine Company and explained how the new Mercedes could help a fire department. While he was talking, a pair of cameramen recorded his testimony.
There was no script. An interviewer asked questions, and Mr. Hahn and his assistant, Bill Farrell, offered their opinions. They smiled at the camera, and stood on the spots that were marked with brightly colored tape on the fire house floor.
The star of the production was the shiny red vehicle next to them — a 2016 Metris that still had its European plates. Since it was not yet licensed in the United States, the van arrived at the fire house on a flat bed.
A look inside the vehicle was like peeking into the future. There was firefighting equipment built into the back, and a touch screen computer in the front. Mr. Hahn said the computer could connect to the Internet to provide maps and floor plans of a building on fire. If someone attached a camera to the computer, they could stream pictures of an event back to their headquarters.
A woman close to the project knew Mr. Hahn’s background and recruited him for the interview. It took all morning to prepare for the shooting. And with retakes, the interview lasted until dinner time.
While the cameras were rolling, police diverted traffic so the noise wouldn’t interfere with the production. Instead of driving past the fire house on Hudson Street, motorists pulled into the elementary school driveway and came out the other side.
The Village received $500 from the production company (and may ask for more because of the extended police involvement). The video is expected to debut on April 20 and remain on the Fast Company site until July.
