Miscellaneous Stuff From Fellow Fans
A hodge-podge of "Emergency!" things fans have sent us.
Belt buckle given to Joe Kalilikani Jr by his
uncle, an LA County Fire Captain
Birthday cake made by Melissa in NJ for her son's 8th birthday
These were taken at the 1981 Fire Muster in Alhambra, CA. Ron
Pinkard is in the white hat with Randy.
Thanks Jenne!
Photos of a replica Squad 51 taken by James Lawson
at a firefighter muster in Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Captain Peter Makowski is a paid on-call firefighter/EMT with the Eveleth,
Minnesota Fire Department. His is also a Firefighter/First Responder with the
Greenwood Township Fire Department, also in Minnesota. He serves as a full-time
Staff Assistant for Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar. Pete's wife Jan is a
nearly 30 year veteran dispatcher with the St. Louis County Communications
Center in Virginia, Minnesota. The couple resides in the Midway area of
Virginia, Minnesota. Over 25 years ago, Pete began looking for a fire
engine, but not just any truck, one that resembled the famous Ward LaFrance
engine used on the TV Show Emergency. During late 2002, Pete was the successful
bidder on a 1971 Ward LaFrance pumper located in Pipestone, Minnesota, roughly
350 miles from Pete's home. The truck has a Detroit Diesel 671 engine,
Allison automatic transmission, Hale two stage 1250 pump and a 500 gallon tank.
The Pipestone Fire Department had taken great care of their "Engine 1" and
several fire department members had tears in their eyes when Pete drove it home.
He assured them that "their engine" would receive the same kind of attention
that they had given to it. In April, 2003, the engine was driven from Pipestone
to Virginia without a single problem.
Today, Pipestone Engine 1 is now Engine 51 and operates under the
fictitious Northern Lights Fire Department. The front of the truck was repainted
two years ago and the wood decking has been sanded and varnished. The engine
still pumps water and the truck has appeared in several parades. Most recently,
it was at the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs' Convention in Grand Rapids,
Minnesota, where Pete, without hesitation, let the members of the Pipestone Fire
Department drive it in the convention's parade. "In a way, it is still their
truck," said Pete.
As for the future, Pete and his fire buff friend Mike Zadra of
Virginia are now looking for a truck that resembles the 1972 Dodge rescue truck
used in Emergency. Any guess on what they are going to do with it?
Personal note: If it were not for the TV Show Emergency, I would never have been
so interested in firefighting and participating in a profession that has been so
challenging and rewarding. I commend folks like you who continue to keep
Emergency alive and well. God knows how many people like me were impacted by
this show!
Greetings,
I love
your website. I have been collecting "Emergency!" stuff for a while now and
recently completed my "Station 51" uniform. Here are a few pics.
In
my
hand is a real Motorola HT-200 Handie-Talkie complete with leather case. The
HT-200, often called "THE BRICK" was used in the first three seasons of
Emergency! I believe that they eventually used the updated HT-220 in the
later seasons. The unit pictured was manufactured in July of 1968.
Here
is basically the same pic with my L.A. County Helmet. The badge I am wearing is
a real "mock" version of the one seen on Emergency manufactured by an actual
company who makes police and fire badges. The only difference is that the badge
number is "51" and not the actual numbers that Roy or Johnny had. Otherwise, it
is an exact replica of an L.A. County badge. Both the helmet and the badge were
obtained by a HUGE fan of "Emergency." He had them custom made for his own
personal use. He only sold them to me because after 9-11, he started collecting
New York City Fire Department memorabilia and needed the money to buy more.
In
this
pic, you can see the nameplate. Because I did not want to get into trouble for
being mistaken for a real paramedic, the nameplate reads "R. DeSoto, Squad 51
EMERGENCY! T.V Series." I have a "Gage" one also. (I simply had the nameplates
made by a local company.)
I don't see me wearing the "Johnny" nameplate simply because I look nothing like
him.
This is a
shot of the complete uniform. I think that I look a bit like "Roy" in this pic!
As you can
tell, I am a complete Emergency "GEEK!" I hope that you enjoy the photo's as
much as I enjoy your website. Feel free to post them, as I would LOVE to be a
part of it!
Matt
Swintek
Albany, Ohio
JEFF
YAROCH IS A BIG EMERGENCY FAN. HE OWNED AN AMERICAN LAFRANCE (WHICH HE SOLD).
HIS DREAM WAS TO BUY A WARD LAFRANCE AND MAKE IT AN ENGINE 51. DAVE WATTS AND
JEFF FOUND A WARD ON EBAY. WHILE JEFF ( WHO'S A FIREFIGHTER FOR A LOCAL
DEPARTMENT) WAS WORKING, DAVE KEPT UP WITH THE AUCTION. JEFF GOT THE TRUCK.
IT'S ORIGINALLY FROM LA COUNTY. JEFF HAD THE TRUCK FLATBEDDED TO RICHMOND, MI (
WHERE HE LIVES). DAVE AND JEFF STARTED TAKING EVERYTHING OFF THE TRUCK, SO IT
COULD BE REPAINTED. JEFF SENT IT TO A GUY NEAR PORT HURON, MI. HE PUT ABOUT 13
STRIPES ON IT, TRYING TO GET THE RIGHT COLOR. HE PAINTED IT AND SENT IT BACK TO
JEFF. WE (DAVE, JEFF TOM, AND I ) STARTED PUTTING THINGS BACK ON. WE REWORKED
THE LADDERS ( DOING A LOT OF VIEWING THE VHS TAPES OF EMERGENCY, TO GET THINGS
RIGHT). CHRISTINA HELPED WITH A LADDER TOO. JEFF HAD THE SEAT REDONE. THE
LETTERING WAS DONE AND PLACED ON THE TRUCK, WE MADE SURE THERE WERE PLACED IN
THE RIGHT SPOTS. JEFF TAKES THE TRUCK TO OUR ANTIQUE FIRETRUCK MUSTERS AND DOES
PARADES WITH IT. HE STORES IT IN HIS POLE BARN AT HIS HOUSE. HERE ARE SOME
OTHER PICTURES OF THE TRUCK, AT OUR MUSTER IN FRANKEMUTH, MI IN 2006.
