(1972 to 1978)
Squad 10
Squad 10 was actually Squad 8, at the time, and was a real LA County Fire Department rig. She was a 1969 Dodge D300 and featured a "Platter" light set up. Prior to the Twinsonic lightbar, LA county shops built their own "light package", which, with minor variations served both Fire Departments and Sheriff's units. The "Platter", as the package was called, consisted of 2 red lights facing front - one steady red, one flashing red, and amber light flashed rearward. A mechanical siren sat between the two forward-facing "reds". An Intersection light, an 8-inch "lollipop" flasher, was mounted amidships just rear of the siren. This light flashed to the sides - the major "blind spot" of the Platter set-up. Squads had an additional clear lamp, which faced the sky! Small in diameter, it was mounted to the Intersection bracket. Helicopters (airsquads and air-attack) to locate a Squad from the air used it. Only Squads had these lights.
Assistance trucks
(1972 to 1978)LA County used large 2 to 5-ton trucks to move additional crews and equipment to large fires or other large incidents. These vehicles were usually 5 ton 1970 or earlier Chevrolet C-40, C-50, C-60, International Fleetstars or Ford F-600, F-700, and F-800’s. One can see an International Assistance truck in the end scenes in the pilot movie. In "Right At Home" Dr. Bracket goes out in the field to a LACoFD fire camp, one of the trucks that is there is a 1970 Chevrolet C-60 5 ton.
Battalion 10 used a 1972 Plymouth Satellite that also had one of these LA County light packages. Battalion 10 is featured in the first response in the pilot movie.Battalion 14 had used two cars in the show, one a 1972 Plymouth and later on an AMC Matador. Both used Federal Twinsonic Light equipment.
In some scenes where one sees LA County Headquarters, one can see AMC and Plymouth fire chief’s cars, in both sedan and station wagon configuration.
Boat 110
Boat 110 was an LA County marine unit fitted with a very powerful and loud Ford racing engine, mated to Hamilton Jet propulsion. It was a water jet boat, and like most water jet boats, these require more engine power for the water jet than a similar configuration using bladed propeller. The engine in this boat had a nasty habit of breaking down often. Boat 110 was stationed at Station 110, a real fire unit located at Marina Del Ray. In Emergency! there are three visits to Station 110. The first is in "Publicity Hound" where a response with the Harbour patrol boat is made, the second is in "The Professor" where John and Roy ride in Boat 110. The last is in "The Steel Inferno", where we see Engine 110 as a Ward LaFrance engine.
In "Brush Fire", the boys check into a command vehicle. This is either a 1968 or 1969 Fargo Tradesman Van. Fargo was a branch of Dodge in much the same way that Mercury is a division of Ford. (Fargo vans and trucks used the same body that the same year’s Dodge models did, but had a different face). Chrysler has since discontinued Fargo.
Deluge 105/106 is based on a 1966 or 1967 Ford 1 ton. These were really old vehicles featuring a booster pump to act as an additional water pump truck. A deluge truck can be seen in the industrial fire in the pilot movie, and also in an episode where a trailer loaded with ammonia products is hit by a railcar with its brakes off, tips over and explodes.
Aside from the large number of Crowns (both open and closed cab), various episodes enable the equipment fan to see; a 1950’s FWD Cavalar engine (the unit with the square nose in the tunnel rescue in the pilot movie); an older Seagrave (Unit 106 at the factory fire in the pilot), and two long nose Seagraves featuring a Mars light (at the abandoned refinery in "Propinquity"). American LaFrance is featured in a few episodes (older models with the rounded nose and wide split window windshield, and ALF Eagle insignia on the front and newer models with a more squar-ish nose and "American LaFrance" nameplate on the sides). ALF units that can be seen are pumper and extendable ladder trucks.
In the "The Old Engine", Roy and John restore a 1930’s Dennis fire engine.
Foam Trucks
(Foam 27 and 65)Foam trucks were 1967 or 1968 Ford F-250s. These vehicles incorporated foam generator and chemical tanks for use in petroleum fires. Foam 27 is responded to the tanker fire in "Boot". Foam 65 is driven into position at the refinery fire in "Fools". (Worth noting that the sound dubbing that one hears while Foam 65 stops is incorrect. Ford F-series pickup trucks were at the time fitted with drum spring brakes, never with air brakes, so the trademark sudden rush of release air from Foam 65 that one hears is wrong).
Copter 10, Copter 14 and other helicopters of the same design are a Bell 205, which is the civilian version of the UH-1 Iroquois (Bell "Huey" the famous helicopter used by the U.S. Army in Vietnam). The Huey has a more pronounced and ‘flatter’ nose than the Bell Jet Ranger The LA County Air Attack helicopters were fitted with water drop tanks that could be filled by LA County pumper units. Emergency! episodes featured a few ‘ride along views’ with the boys and also one with Dr. Brackett. In the episode featuring Dr. Bracket’s field tour to a fire camp two smaller helicopters (Copter 2 is shown with the tail rotor and unit plate) are shown. This is a Bell featuring the trademark ‘bubble’ cabin.
Another helicopter seen in the series is the U.S. Coast Guard Rescue helicopter of unknown manufacture. There are ride alongs in USCG 1442 two episodes where Squad 51 responds to incidents at Santa Catalina Island. These helicopters are of the same manufacture as those 6 bladed units used in the U.S. Navy (probably Sikorsky).
Repair Vehicle (1977)
The repair vehicle used by Charlie the Mechanic (featured in "Breakdown") was a 1976 Dodge D300 with commercial body.
Sierra Madre Search and Rescue
This four crew double cab yellow truck is a 1968 Dodge Power Wagon. It was shown in a season three episode where Squad 51 responds to an aircraft down in the mountains ("Body Language"). The Power Wagon originates from the late 1940’s and had since been discontinued by Dodge by the mid 1980’s.
Tow Vehicle - 1972
In "Brush Fire" as Squad 51 drives into camp, another vehicle arrives towing a command trailer. This is a 1966 to 1968 Ford F-800. Larger Ford trucks unlike their little pickup brothers did not change appearance year to year. These trucks were largely gas powered.
Tractor 2
Tractor 2 featured in the famous episode of "Snakebite" (where to the squeals of terror emanating from John’s fans, John Gage gets bitten by a rattlesnake) and operated by Hector the crusty voiced operator was a Caterpillar D8H bulldozer fitted with roll over protection structure, and a Hyster winch and cable set. This type of equipment is the mainstay of the brush units, and is transported aboard LA County truck and trailer sets. (One can be seen in Brush fire a late 1960’s International Transtar 4000). The D8 was at the time the largest bulldozer made by Caterpillar (now surpassed by the monstrous D10). The letter "H" designates a model advance such as a D8C would be a bit older than a D8H. A D8K would be newer than a D8H.Unrelated to Tractor 2 but seen in an episode of Emergency where Engine 51 (the Ward LaFrance) and Squad 51 respond to a house in danger of a landslide) is another Caterpillar, the Caterpillar 977. The 977 are a tracked heavy-duty front loader unit.
Truck 8, Truck 127
Truck 8 appears in "Drivers" and in a few other episodes. Truck 8 is a ladder truck based on an American LaFrance unit. American LaFrance equipment appears in other episodes as we see examples of LaCoFD ALF engines and trucks including a tillered unit (where Boot decides to go with another station and Johnny can see why being a tillerman is much more exciting to little boys than being a paramedic).Truck 127 makes its first appearance in the pilot at the electrocution rescue. This is a closed cab Crown 10 wheeled unit with Snorkel boom and basket. Truck 127 was a real truck unit stationed at the station, which we see as Station 51. Truck 127 makes several appearances, one even at Rampart General. We see many views of 127 including basket detail (but never ride along in the forward cab). The pilot’s electrocution rescue offers many instances to inspect her lifting gear, the basket, and provisions aboard the truck itself.
Snorkel is a manufacturer of aerial water tower rescue appliances fitted to fire equipment at the time of equipment fitting out. The term "Snorkel" was used to name such fire trucks fitted with such equipment even if the aerial appliance was made by someone else (in much the same way that we can "Xerox a copy of page from a book on a Xerox machine" made by Minolta or even IBM). Snorkel is still in business.
Johnny’s vehicle
("Snakebite" and "Welcome to Santa
Rosa County")
John owns and drives one of the more widely used SUV’s in the world, the Land Rover made by British Leyland. The Land Rover at that time was really built to take it, and unlike the more recently built Land Rovers, was cheap to buy and own. His is the North American edition (left hand drive) made in England in one episode, he probably had the Land Rover in for repair as he came into the station one morning driving a Jeep pickup. A Land Rover ride along is featured in both "Snakebite" and "Welcome to Santa Rosa".
Roy has one of two cars up for sale, and tries to trade it off to Johnny. This is a Kharmann Ghia (could also be a Porsche Boxter or Speedster, but not sure). Kharmann Ghias was made by Volkswagen, which also manufactures Porsches.
