Original subtitles

[explosion sounds]

[theme music]

DEPARTMENT CHIEF: Good morning.

This is an important day in your lives and department career.

It's also an important day for the department,

and the service we provide.

I'm not going to give you a pep talk this morning,

but I would like to express my feelings and expectations.

I believe that the captain assigned as a company officer

is a key position in the department.

The manner in which you perform, the leadership you provide,

the image you project, and the example you set

are all parts of being a good captain.

You are both a team leader and a part of that team.

Your success is the success of the department,

whether it be in the handling of an emergency incident,

or fire prevention and public education activities.

You each bring with you to this position

a variety of experience-- use it,

and build on it as a base for your expanded responsibilities.

It is now my pleasure to present to you your badges of office.

Would you please step forward as I call your name.

Robert Bellingham.

Congratulations, Bob.

Craig Bryce.

Congratulations, Craig.

Roy DeSoto.

Congratulations, Roy, good luck.

Thanks, Chief.

John Gage.

Finally cracked one, huh John?

Congratulations.

Joe Harmon.

Joe, congratulations.

Great.

Captain Gage, Captain John Gage, Los

Angeles County Fire Department.

Yeah, well, boy it's beginning to hit me now.

Yeah well, you always did have slow reflexes.

Yeah.

I had slow reflexes.

I had slow reflexes?

That's absurd.

It is, huh?

You remember when we first met when you first came

in to the paramedic program?

You were as bad as a little kid getting his first haircut.

Yeah, well I didn't really know what I was

getting myself into, now did I?

Ha, I remember that only too well.

I was working at eights, and here

we'd just come off a long fire.

Oh boy, and was it rough.

Then this chief come up to me.

Gage?

Yes, sir?

That special training program, remember we were talking

about it a couple of days ago?

Yes, sir, the para- something or other.

Paramedics.

First class just finished last week.

That's good.

I'm supposed to encourage all our young rescue

personnel to volunteer for the next class.

Yes sir, well, I guess I'm just

too stupid to take advantage of such an opportunity.

I know it's work, no raise in pay,

but it just might be worthwhile.

Yes sir, it might be, if I wanted to be an ambulance

attendant, but I don't.

Chief, I'm a rescue man.

I trained to be a rescue man, and I like being a rescue man.

Now why should I die from improvements?

ROY DESOTO: There's a bill before the state legislature

right now.

It's going to be the most important advance in emergency

medicine in the last 50 years.

Going to be?

Well maybe you just better hang on to that application 'til

it is.

That'll be too late.

We're already late.

Gage, there are over 6 and 1/2 million people in Los Angeles

County right now, and not nearly enough doctors to handle

'em even under normal conditions.

When you get into emergency situations--

freeway accidents, drownings, heart attacks, 1,000 others,

people are dying at the scene.

People who could stay alive if there was somebody

on the spot who knew what to do.

But they won't let you function.

They will.

They'll have to.

Look if that bill passed the legislature today,

do you know how many people we'd have ready for the job?

Just me and five other guys who took the training course.

Six men for 6 and 1/2 million people.

Now we can't wait for the go ahead

and then train our people.

If there's one chance in a million that bill will pass,

we have to be ready.

Use your pen?

[theme music]

Well you have to admit, there sure wasn't much to being

a paramedic back then.

We had to go by the hospital, pick up a nurse,

every time we went on a response.

Yeah I remember.

Looking back on it, it does seem kind of silly, doesn't it?

Matter of fact, seemed kind of dumb back then, too.

Well they sure didn't trust us, did they?

I remember the first rescue we went on with Dix.

[siren]

Broken railing.

LA Squad 51 at the scene.

DISPATCH [ON RADIO]: 10-4 Squad 51, time 15:38.

[theme music]

LA Squad 51, we have a vehicle over the cliff,

at least one injury.

What's the ETA on the ambulance?

DISPATCH [ON RADIO]: Squad 51, the ambulance, engine

and patrol 186 are responding.

ETA unknown.

Breathing.

Both legs broken.

A fractured radius and ulna.

Probable concussion.

Let's get her out of here quick.

[music playing]

Climb out of there it's going to go over.

You heard him, Dix, now we'll get her out of here.

It's half done.

[music playing]

Dixie!

Car must have pivoted right around her.

[music playing]

What shape are you in?

Both In acute pain.

What about Dixie?

Fast IV and some atropine.

Pump it up.

Just give me a minute.

- What are you doing? - Contacting base.

What for?

So they can tell until we can't treat them?

No, So they know we're going to.

Rampart, Rescue 51.

Rampart rescue 5-1.

Come on, come on.

Go ahead, 51.

Vehicle over the cliff, three patients, one male, two female,

male victim approximately 45.

Compound fractures both legs, acute pain.

First female approximately 40, fractured radius

and ulna right arm.

JOHN GAGE: Probable concussion, acute pain,

vital signs both stable, both need

immediate IVs, along with talwin, 30 milligrams.

Third patient female, approximately 30,

unconscious, probable concussion, deep shock.

Vital signs 60 over 40, rate 30, respirations 8 to 10.

Eyes unequal, needs fast IV and one milligram atropine.

Tell the nurse treatment confirmed.

I wish we could do that, doc.

Dixie's the third victim.

I'll have a backup nurse out there on the double.

- We're 45 minutes from base. - Do what you can.

Immobilize those fractures. Don't treat them.

These people are in pain, and Dixie can't wait.

Don't treat them, a nurse is on the way.

That's an order!

To hell with the orders.

[theme music]

DOCTOR: Let me tell you a story, gentlemen, about an automobile

accident, about three victims, two female and one male,

and two firemen with three months

of medical training under their belts

with the best of intentions.

But two unauthorized men treated those people out there.

We did the only thing we could.

Sure you did.

And what would you have done if further complications

had set in, diagnosed them on your own, flipped a coin?

Those people are all right. We just saw them.

Yes, I know.

I'm trying to tell you what could have happened.

The two of you, the fire department, and the county

would have been sued to the hilt.

And you would have earned the most

destructive publicity possible for your precious program.

But it didn't happen that way.

No but you were willing to roll the dice

and lose the whole ballgame.

And to prove it, you shut down the link.

Your fantasy might really have happened

if we had done nothing.

You could have sat with them, on them

if necessary, until help came, authorized medical help.

We couldn't be sure that there was time to wait.

Right.

And do you think a doctor like me is sure about everything

he does?

The only sure Doctor is a fool.

But we do our best without panic, or without getting

sentimental about a patient.

That's what a doctor is.

And that's what the two of you are not.

We never pretended to be.

And maybe you don't like what we did, doctor,

but it was our best.

You did fine.

[music playing]

Man, boy Braggin sure was a hard-nose back in those days.

Was?

Still is.

We just proved something to him that he couldn't argue with.

Took a little time and a little doing.

Man, I sure hate giving up being a paramedic after all the time

we put in.

Yeah, me too.

It was not our fault, we gave them plenty

of time to change the system.

It never happened, though.

Still can't be a paramedic and a captain at the same time.

Not yet, anyway.

Hey, well maybe we put in enough time as paramedics.

I mean, you can't keep up that kind of pace forever, right?

What do you mean?

I can.

I really dug the excitement.

Yeah, you really dug the water too, didn't you?

Remember Marina Del Rey a couple years ago?

It had to be the coldest day of the year.

JOHN GAGE: Yeah, and I don't much like water anyway.

[sirens]

[music playing]

Let's get them out of there.

There's one man in the car, he's still alive.

Car's like this.

He's up in an air pocket next to the roof.

Left wing window's open, door's popped.

That's all.

Can we get a-- an air tank down to him?

How much water in the car?

Oh, it's pretty full.

It's awfully heavy, too.

OK, well we've got the cave-in gear with us.

You mean that special thing they made up?

Right.

Just shove the hose in through the wing window.

Yeah, but do you have any face masks aboard?

Coming up.

[siren]

Give me a hand.

OK, OK, let's grab it.

Hop back if you don't make it on your first dive.

OK.

[theme music]

[theme music]

OK,

- Is it in? - Yeah.

Beautiful. Now we've got some time.

Can you handle the jaws down there OK?

Between the two of us, yeah, I think so.

[engine sounds]

Do you want us to spell you?

No, not yet.

[music playing]

OK.

All right, we'll change over at the count of 30, all right?

OK.

[music playing]

[inaudible]

Does he know?

Hell no.

[music playing]

[music playing]

[music playing]

[music playing]

[theme music]

All right, get back everyone, we got someone.

[theme music]

All right, get back.

[theme music]

JOHN GAGE: And I gotta admit, being

a parking attendant under water isn't

exactly my favorite pastime.

I do think that the one we had at the lake

was a little rougher than that.

LA copter 10 responding to a burning

boat on Lake [inaudible].

It looks abandoned, but while we're waiting for 149 to arrive

and set up, I'm going to make one more pass

to see if anybody's aboard.

I just spotted someone on the deck.

Better get ready to go in after him.

There's a guy over.

Uh, Mack, we're going to have to go in.

OK, you can open the door.

Open it.

HELICOPTER PILOT: OK, you can jump

any time you guys are ready.

We all right?

JOHN GAGE: Go!

[theme music]

Ah.

- Take it easy. - Ah.

Hurry.

Take it easy.

[helicopter rotor sounds]

Come on, come on, come on.

My legs, they're burned.

OK, you hurt anywhere else?

No.

Did Bob get off?

There's somebody else in that boat?

Yeah.

Hey!

[whistle] - Hey!

You just stay easy, now.

Hey!

[inaudible]

OK, guys. [inaudible].

- All right. - All right.

Give me a hand.

You got him?

Yeah, I got him.

OK, come on out.

Copter 10, this is HG 51.

We may have another victim in the boat.

HELICOPTER PILOT: Copter 10, 10-4.

How many tanks you got?

Did they both go off?

I don't know.

Can you get us close to that boat?

Yeah, hang on.

All right.

[theme music]

All right, copter 10, this is HG 51.

She just blew on us.

You'd better make it fast.

HELICOPTER PILOT: We're on our way.

[theme music]

[theme music]

[theme music]

[theme music]

All right, I'll get the fire.

All right.

Hey, keep the boat close, we're gonna transfer him, OK?

[COUGHING]

Hey Roy, can you give me a hand?

Right.

OK.

All right.

- Yeah. - All right.

OK, I'll get in.

[COUGHING]

OK, All right, I got him.

OK, shove off, I'm in.

[theme music]

[theme music]

[theme music]

[theme music]

[theme music]

[theme music]

HELICOPTER PILOT: LA copter 10, we're

10-8 to ramp for emergency with two male burn victims,

approximate ages, 32 and 34.

We have 51's paramedics on board and our ETA is 15 minutes.

But what I loved about the job was the variety.

I mean but we go from some of the wildest rescues

to some of the silliest damn things.

I know.

There's no limit to how dumb some people can get.

Or some paramedics, remember?

Not the girdle story, please.

Look, I've been trying to live that down for six years.

If I never hear about it again, I'd be one very happy man.

[theme music]

Please, please help, I can't.

Where-- where are-- Oh, here they are.

Thank you.

Help, help me. [PANTING] Help me.

Help.

How long have you been this way, ma'am?

10, 10, about 10 minutes.

I can't breathe.

Uh-huh.

Has this happened before?

No, no, no it's new.

New.

Are you under a doctor's care?

No, not sick, squeezing me.

Help me.

Ma'am?

New-- new girdle, girdle.

I can't-- I can't breathe.

Girdle?

[music playing]

Uh, well, what do you suggest?

Well, you can cut it, I guess.

I don't see any other way.

You, you want us-

Anything.

Cut-- Cut-- Hurry up.

Hurry!

Ahh.

Ahh.

Oh, I-- I didn't think I'd ever draw another breath.

[BREATHING HEAVILY] Oh it's good.

It's good to be alive.

JOHN GAGE: Man, I don't know who was dumber.

Her for getting in to it, or me for getting her out.

Well that guy on the couch with no prize, either.

I still don't know how he managed that bit.

One thing's for sure.

How's that?

It wasn't easy.

[SIRENS]

Up here!

Hurry!

Harvey's really stuck, I'm afraid he's

not going to last much longer.

They're coming, it won't be much longer.

Well I wish you hadn't of called them.

Hi.

Hi.

Uh, this is Harvey.

Never mind the introductions.

Just get me out of this man-eating sofa, will ya?

This isn't a very comfortable way to sleep, is it Harv?

He's a weirdo.

A real weirdo.

Do you, uh, hurt anywhere, Ha- Harv?

Well, uh, I can't breathe.

My leg's twisted, my elbow's pinched.

I guess his pride's a little hurt, too, you know?

Will you keep out of this?

Look now, Harvey, uh, how did this happen?

Uh, well I was just, uh, lying here, minding my own business,

diagonally across this thing, and it--

somehow it just fouled up.

Folded up.

And it wasn't easy either, was it Harvey?

Will you shut up?

Don't talk to me like that, Harvey Gibbs,

I may have just saved your life.

Exhale, Harv.

Now we're going to press and squeeze this thing,

and then he's going to release the latch.

Steady there. All right.

Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute.

[spring releasing] - OK.

All right.

Oop.

Oh, Harvey.

Uh, that's OK, thanks fellas, I can get out now.

- Whatever you say, Harv. - You always got the good ones.

Remember the girl in the bathtub?

Yeah, well that's because you backed out, remember?

Unh, she kind of took me by surprise.

Well I think she's beginning to panic a little, here.

Well, you should know better than to let

children bathe by themselves.

It's OK, baby, the firemen are here now.

This way, you can break the door down if you have to,

but just get her out.

All right, I don't think we're gonna have to break it down.

Here.

Can you hang on for just a second more?

GIRL [BEHIND DOOR]: Hurry. - All right, just a second.

What's your name?

GIRL [BEHIND DOOR]: Betty.

OK, gonna be right in to get you, Betty.

There we go.

Mm.

[music playing]

Hi.

Hi.

I uh--

Could one of you please help me get my foot free?

Uh, sure, I um-- I thought you were little.

We thought-- you told me she was a little girl.

Could you please hurry?

Uh, you wanna, huh, can you, uh,

and I'll get some information from you.

You want to step right out here, and we'll ta-

get your information on here.

Uh, do you want to hand me the soap there?

Never mind.

I'll get it.

I feel so silly.

It's really a stupid thing, I'm really embarrassed.

Oh, you shouldn't feel embarrassed.

No need to uh, feel embarrassed.

There.

There we go.

What a relief.

Thank you. - You're welcome.

JOHN GAGE: Hm, you know, with a little practice,

I think you could learn to like those kind of runs.

Well it sure beats working high,

I mean, that's something I never could get used to.

Huh, don't I know it.

Remember the suicide attempt we had the very first

year we were working together?

I'd say that was a might high.

Now how am I going to get out there?

Did you ever walk on top of a garden fence?

Yeah when it was 100 feet closer to the ground.

Ah, just think of it as a garden fence.

Let's go.

[theme music]

[theme music]

[theme music]

Garden fence, huh?

Well, there might be a little difference.

Yeah.

I hope you live to be a hundred.

Eh, we'll have you off here in no time.

Let's get this belt hooked around you.

There, perfect fit.

We'll be ready to go any second.

What do you say about that?

Anybody'd be nervous up here.

I am.

[music playing]

Ready to go?

Yeah, I think so.

OK.

As scared as I am?

Yeah.

[music playing]

Ahhh!

[grunts]

Ahh.

[breathing heavily]

You did all right over there.

Like that psychology you tried, pretending you were scared.

Pretending?

[breathing heavily]

Come on, let's go back home.

ROY DESOTO: You know, for a while there on that crane,

I thought I was going to have to get me a new partner.

Now that one was a real rough one.

Yeah, well the time you had the flu

and didn't even know it, that was worse.

You wanna take this line over to him?

Uh, no, send it down.

OK.

[music playing]

[music playing]

[music playing]

[music playing]

Slack!

[breathing heavily]

Hey, Johnny, are you OK?

Yeah.

[music playing]

Looks like--

Engine 51, have the ambulance send up another stretcher.

Gage is in trouble.

DISPATCH [ON RADIO]: 10-4

It won't work.

Now he's tangled, too.

I'm going to go over after him.

Make his line fast.

I'm going to need you on mine.

[music playing]

[music playing]

[music playing]

More slack.

He's in full cardiac arrest.

Give me more slack.

[theme music]

All right, take up the slack, let's move him out.

[music playing]

OK, pull him up a bit.

[music playing]

All right, take him up slow.

[music playing]

OK.

[music playing]

Ah.

[music playing]

Hey, Roy?

Man, I think I-- I got-

Yeah, yeah, take it easy.

Now that one was a might hairy.

Talking about hairy, you remember

that dog you got as a gift?

[whistling]

Johnny!

Johnny Gage, how are you?

Oh, I'm fine, how are you?

I'd say better than the last time you saw me, no more

automobile accidents.

Oh, that's right, that's right.

Wow.

Oh, Roy! - Hi.

Good to see you.

Nice to see you.

Do you remember my dog, Bonnie?

Bonnie, sure. I-

Well you took such good care of her

when I was in the hospital.

Yeah well, Bonnie was a great dog.

I really liked Bonnie. Huh.

Yeah.

I'm going to get a cup of coffee.

Yeah, OK.

Johnny, I, uh, guess you must be wondering why I wanted

to see you after all this time.

You wait right here.

[dog barking]

Here we go, that a boy.

Come on.

Come here. Come here.

One more trash can fire, and I'm going

to transfer to a brush station.

Hey John, what happened to Paula Sleighton, she split?

Uh, she said she'd be right back.

I don't know where she went. She said-

[dog barking]

Nice girl.

Nice girl.

Whoa, whoa, hey, hey, hey, get your dogs.

Go around that side, go around the back.

Boat, come here.

Come here, come here, come here.

Come here.

Come on, girl.

Come on, girl.

Here girl.

Here girl. Come on.

- Here girl. - Chase her back.

Oh, he's over there.

No, he's back over- - Boat.

Here girl.

Oh.

Come on, girl.

Here girl. - Ya-

Boat-

He's going around the back.

Oh you idiot, I had her.

Roy, call him.

I got him, I got him, I got him, I got him.

All right, Boat.

OK, I got him.

All right.

Oh, that's wonderful, she likes you.

Yes, well.

I knew I was right in giving her to you.

Ooh.

You never did have much luck with animals.

Huh.

Look who's talking.

Remember the guy with the back problem?

Yeah.

I'm Mrs. Fox.

It's my husband.

Please, please hurry.

Ma'am, I saw your sign out there about your dog.

Oh yes, well don't worry about that.

It doesn't mean a thing.

All righty.

[dog barking]

Is that the dog?

Yes.

He's not hungry, is he?

Oh, you don't have to worry, he's perfectly harmless.

He just loves people.

[dog panting]

[dog grunting]

Ma'am, ma'am, your dog's worrying my partner's leg.

Yeah, yes.

He's uh-

Come on, Thaddeus, come my baby.

Come on.

He's harmless, he's just fine. He's really-- come on, Thaddeus.

He won't hurt you.

We're coming, dear.

Come on, baby. Come on.

- Ma'am your- He's harmless. - Yeah.

He's perfectly harmless. He loves people so much.

Yeah I know, but uh, he's on my pant leg.

No he won't hurt you.

Here we are, dear.

Isn't he cute?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Keep that monster away from me.

Yes, darling.

How about that.

Yes, come on baby.

Oh, he's just playing with you.

That's enough, That's enough baby.

Ow.

Let me-

Can you pull your dog off, Ma'am?

Yes, I'm trying. He just loves you so much.

Yeah.

Oh, going to sell that dog for horse meat.

Come on baby. Oh, he's just playing with you.

What's the problem.

The prob-- oh, the problem is my back.

Let's go baby, come on.

I promise you, you're going to feel a heck of a lot

better if you just try not to move around, OK?

Yeah, it's in my lower back.

I can't even move.

How'd this happen?

Huh, the dog, of course, who else?

He knocked me down.

Have you ever had a history of, uh, back pain before?

Yeah, every once in a while it goes out, never as bad as this,

though.

Ma'am?

Oh, yeah I guess he likes you.

Come on down.

Come on, baby.

Come on.

Friendly dog.

Oh yes, he really is.

Uh, Rampart, this is squad 51, how do you read?

Go ahead, 51.

Ah, Rampart, we have a male, approximately--

uh, stand by Rampart.

Uh, Roy, Roy, Roy, he's got your beeper.

[music playing]

Uh, Rampart, uh, we have a male

approximately 50 years old.

Ah, he's complaining of a back injury.

Pulse is 80, respiration is 28, uh, BP-- uh, standby Rampart.

Ah, Roy you don't happen to remember

what the BP is, do you?

[dog barking]

120 Over 80.

Uh, Rampart, BP is, uh, 120 over 80.

ROY DESOTO: I don't know what was worse,

the woman or that dog.

I sure could have lived without that one.

Well, it wasn't near as bad as when Chet was trying to teach

Henry how to use a doghouse.

That's right.

Henry, come on get in your new home, buddy.

Henry, look at this.

Come on, Henry, you can have a nice new bone

here in your new home.

Come on, Henry, get in here, will ya?

Chet, why don't you just give up on that dog house?

Hey, why don't you go back to your potatoes, chump?

All right, Henry, I'm going to show you one more time.

[music playing]

Well, easy there.

Naw, Henry, uh uh.

Come on, Henry.

Come on, Henry.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on, buddy.

Come on, Henry.

That's a boy.

Now Henry,

[dog growling]

OK, now Henry, you gotta move- All right, I can move over.

Now wait a minute, Henry.

[crash]

You [inaudible], give me that bone!

Come here.

[dog growling] Come on.

[theme music]