MikesPhotos

UPDATED 10/15/2008: AHA08 Huge Update Well the fires here in the LA area are finally quieting down and I've been cranking out the AHA pics during my break hoping to catch up a bit. I've currently got over 50k pics in my unsorted file, yes… that's correct, 50k! Today's update is a pretty good size one of over 100 pictures from the LA County Coroners Office, LAFD, LACoFD, CHP, Downey PD, LA GSD Police, and KTLA 5's helo. Enjoy!

No idea to be honest, Horses and I have never been on the best of terms. Here is an image of the LASD unit (NOT MY IMAGE)

I hate to go off on a tangent but that's not exactly true. In the fp_params_endless_d.xml <IgnoreDate value = "0" /> to "1" and you can have them any date of the year like any other normal event. Mike

UPDATED 10/13/2008: AHA08 Federal LEO I found some free time and was able to crank out another batch of pics from the 08 airshow. This time it's a slew of Federal Law Enforcement pics from the ATF's Bomb Squad, DEA Medics and Air Unit, FBI's SWAT, Hazmat, ERT, Bomb Squad, MCC, US Border Patrol and Secret Service Limo. Enjoy! One of the great things with digital photography is the exif info tells you the gear that a photographer uses. I shoot 90% of the photos on my website with a Canon EOS-1D MkII with either Canon or Leica lenses. Other pics are shot with a Leica R5 film camera or an Olympus C4040 compact digital. As for the colors and composition, I shoot all of my photos in RAW format and have minimal post processing using Adobe Lightroom. Mostly dust spot removal and minimal cropping and such. The biggest nag you hear from today's professional photographers (the ones making a living doing this) is that anyone with a cheap SLR or pocket cam all of a sudden thinks they're a great photographer! The next Ansel Adams or Wedding specialist. The grumblings are all over the net and the industry because the fact is that a camera is just a light tight box. Some of my greatest pics have been made with the small and cheap olympus C4040, and some of my worst have been with the Canon and Leicas. Equipment isn't what makes a photographer, good equipment in good hands will always make a good picture. Great equipment in poor hands will never come close. The key thing though is that in order to make a great picture versus a "snapshot" involves a mix of artistry and science in regards to knowing proper composition, shapes, angles, and what will stand out when captured vs what you see with your own eye. The science involved is knowing your gears limitations as well as the limitations of your medium, be it print or screen, and most of all, knowing the science of light itself. Photography is primarily a study in light and color. By understanding the two and the effects of the sun at different times of the day, you can make pictures that POP!! Where others who just point and shoot will just end up with something as interesting as dry mud. Case in point are Landscape and Nature photographers who are notorius for hiking out to a location and sitting there for days looking for just the right kind of light and after 2 or 3 days, and waking up at 4:30am to catch the first rays in the spot they finally decide upon, they'll come home with maybe one or two pictures total, but they got what they wanted! Photojournalism and action photography is different because you are not in control of your setting, time or area. By knowing the science of light and where to be and where not to be, what filters to use, and what auxiliary lighting to use, you can still make amazing pictures straight out of the camera and not rely on software to make up for your lack of skill and knowledge. Photoshop and Lightroom and all of the other programs out there will never make a bad picture good, that's why those who can make a great picture from the get go end up making the top dollar. You might just have a split second to grab that shot you want, but watch a professional and you'll see the mental calculations he is making in regards to exposing for the shadows or the highlights, shallow depth of field or deep, does he want a certain element in the composition, or what his priority is in regards to shutter speed or aperture. Included in all of that is a mental tally of each and every light source from the sun to reflections to the way the light is reacting off of elements in the shot. Reflective striping, chrome elements, and even tinted windshields can cause a great picture to come out crap, and all of that is taken into account immediately. I have the absolute greatest pleasure watching some of the photographers from the BBC, LA Times and Daily news as well as the fine men and women who are part of the LACoFD's photographer program. 5 of us can stand in the same exact spot with the same exact equipment, and you'll end up with 5 different amazing pictures. Also on the subject of Color Space, one very important thing is your digital dark room. Color doesn't just matter when you are taking the pictures, but also when you are developing them too! The ambient light combined with the monitor itself can play tricks on your eyes. Do you have flourescent lights? Do you have light coming in from a window? If you edit a picture in the morning, does it look different at night? Does it look the same as what you print? Without calibration and effort, the answers are obvious. I have all of my monitors color calibrated using the Eye-one Monitor calibration tool and have specific profiles set up in lightroom for it as well as for my Epson printer based on the paper type and inks that I am using. I also edit the pictures in two different ways, one for screen and one for printing, with different sharpening and cropping for each medium. It's great to see so many people getting interested in photography and I always enjoy seeing other peoples snapshots, but I also encourage everyone to take photography classes, read books and magazines on the subject, and learn about the science and art of photography and what it takes to move up to the next level. Mike

If the suspect is unarmed and you draw your weapon and click on the suspect, he will either stop and drop to his knees and be arrested , or he will continue his actions (flee or continue fighting). If the suspect is armed, you have the choice of drawing your weapon and returning fire, or keeping the weapon holstered and approaching the suspect to physically arrest him.

I am not sure re: riot control duty, but for all other duties, they ride with the cowboy/cavalry hat. LASD rides with motorcycle-ish riding helmets from what i've seen. Mike

Thanks, the LAPD has 2 Bearcats and 1 BEAR in service right now. All of the Cadillac Cage's have been retired due to age and mechanical issues. Up next will be Federal Law Enforcement. ATF, FBI, Secret Service Limo, Border Patrol, DEA and more.

UPDATED 10/11/2008: AHA08 LAPD Metro Swat, Horse, and Air Unit Today's update is from the American Heroes Airshow back in July. To kick things off, I've added 55 new shots of LAPD's Rescue 3 Armored Vehicle, slicktop Crown Vic, SWAT Officers and their Gear, an Air Unit and Mounted Patrol officers. There is much, much, more to come, so Enjoy!

This topic was moved since it had nothing to do with the LA Mod and was a general emergency service question. The simple reason is tradition. Many fire departments go back long before the days of nomex, plastic, and the Reciprocating engine, and many of the differences you see between departments relies on hundreds of years of their specific tradition. Because many departments were local companies made up of the people in the neighborhood, the fire service in America has always been very insular and tied very closely to the citizens they protect. There is great pride in today's firefighters in the accomplishments, achievements, and efforts of those who came before us. The black helmet you are referring to I'm assuming is the traditional leather new yorker style that has been in use since the 1800s and is credited to Gratacap, who was a New York City Firefighter and luggage maker during that time. Many departments still use or allow the use of Leather helmets or similarly styled ones, but they are not suited for every clime and region. Here in Southern California, those who have gone to it usually switch back to the lighter styles because of the weather out here just doesn't work well with having a very heavy piece of dark leather sitting on your head for extended periods of time. But not everyone does, and departments like LACoFD allow the use a traditional style helmet if the member wants to wear one. In regards to some of the other comments regarding rank. With modern style helmets, rank can and usually is, denoted by color of the helmet. With the traditional style, rank is usually denoted by the color of the tetrahedrons attached to the helmet while the helmet remains black for all ranks. Some other makers, like Cairns N6A can be ordered in various colors but that is less common. Every dept. is different, every one gets to choose whatever they want and to do things how ever they want and it almost always falls back on one word... Tradition.

You can see the answer to your question in the picture I posted. The only black boots LAFD wears are their Station/EMS boot and Brush boot. There are primary and alternative approved makers, so you'll find different styles for the Station and Brush. Mike

LAFD uses Yellow turnout gear, though there was a very very small trial that few know about in which black turnouts were tested. It didn't go far, but you can find pics of it on the web. There are only a small number of west coast departments that I can think of that don't use the standard style of yellow gear and Phenix helmets. As for mistaking them for beige, well, LA City and County are in a class with few others in the nation and world. To be blunt, we get dirty and we stay busy and our gear takes a very visible beating. You can see in the picture below the difference between brand new and worn gear at a structure fire in LAFD 88's area. They all start out bright, but never last that way Mike

Zohar is right. With minor exceptions in mind, Police Helicopters are force multipliers in their use as additional eyes and technology, not in their use of delivering officers onto the ground. They are normally staffed with a Pilot and a tactical flight officer, though it's not unheard of for high ranking officers and special duty officers (narcotics, gang, and such) to fly along and gather intelligence for any current operations working in an area. As for the Boats, staffing on the small ones are 3. 2 are diver trained. With the game being the way it is now, realistic staffing is not necessarily the best way to go. I personally just keep 1 diver, and 2 Medics on board. I've seen some people put as many as 20 cars out at once which is ridiculous. You have to realize that LAPD has an average response time between 6 and 8 minutes to most emergency calls compared to fire being on scene in under 5 mins for over 90% of their calls. When you look at the size of the map and compare it to an LAPD beat map like this one, you can see how many cars fit in a given area. Van Nuys station covers the areas of "Blythe Street, Lake Balboa, Sepulveda, Sherman Oaks, Valley Glen, Van Nuys, Ventura Business District, and West Van Nuys" which is a good huge chunk of LA, and a busy one at times as well. Personally, I find that 4 patrol cars and 2 motor units are more then adequate coverage, especially with the new entry points. You have the unmarked/SWAT from the NW and Sheriff and CHP from the south east in addition to your patrol units. The motor units are great for calls where all you need is traffic control since they can get in and around traffic and park off to the side and out of the way of the fire apparatus. I still tend to get traffic jams at times, but its rare since usually 2 or more of the units are busy on a call someplace. In addition to regular beat cars (A Units) , you'll also have a few extras roaming around the area such as traffic division and special assignment units, and if the area has been experiencing a rash of crime or traffic problems, additional units might be focused in that spot. For the size of the game map and such, anything more then 6 units is just plain overkill, and even that can be excessive. Mike

One other thing to note is that there have been some minor, and some substantial changes to the freeplay maps, including a surprise that I'm not going to spoil One of the biggest changes are the off map entry points for all of the units. With the addition of the 2nd fire station, these were all changed and redone to have a better spread of resources across the map. Specifically ALS Units, Extrication equipped units, SWAT/FBI and Brush units were all carefully plotted to give the best response time to necessary areas. Many of these placements have also been done with regard to future changes to the map that will come in 1.8 as well. FR Freeplay map entry points * Entry Point A / PD 3 - NW Corner of map LAFD BC LAFD USAR LACoFD Squad USFS Utility Truck Unmarked Crown Vic Rescue Truck 1 Rescue Truck 2 Heavy Rescue Armored SWAT This allows for an ALS unit and extrication units to respond along the north end of the map without being blocked by trains. It also gives you SWAT units for the western half of the map. * Entry Point B Coroner Mass Casualty Unit Red Cross LAFD EMS Capt. LAFD Brush Patrol USFS Type III Engine LAFD EMS This gives you Brush units with a quick response to the forest around the hospital and up that side of the map. This becomes especially useful since additional Fire Engines now come from the East side of the map with a great delay to this area, but a quick response to the wooded home in the North East sector. * Entry Point C LAFD Ambulances LAFD Engine 1 & 2 LAFD Foam Tender LAFD Aerial Ladder Truck This is the primary entry point for the Ambulances, Engines, Foam Tender and Ladder truck. This gives you all of the additional help you might require for the smaller FS2 in that area, including a Light Force and extra ambulances. * Entry Point D / PD2 LAFD Hazmat LAFD Motorboat LAX CRASH ARFF LASD, CHP, LAWA, and LAPP National Guard FBI This entry point gives you specialized fire units needed in the port area. It also serves as the main entry point for all non-LAPD Law Enforcement units. This allows for a quick response of FBI for the hostage and other specialized situations in the East part of the map. -------------- Deluxe Freeplay Entry Points * Entry Point A / PD3 LAFD Ambulances Unmarked Crown Victoria Rescue Truck 1 Rescue Truck 2 Heavy Rescue Armored SWAT This entry point is for SWAT units and all LAFD Rescue Ambulances. * Entry Point B / PD2 Coroner Mass Casualty Unit SAR dog LAFD BC LAFD USAR LAFD Motorboat LAFD Brush Patrol LACoFD Squad USFS Engine USFS Truck LASD, CHP, LAWA, LAPP, Nat Guard, FBI This entry point allows for the Motorboat to reach its drop point quickly, SAR dogs to reach 2 of the missing person areas quickly, gives you extrication and ALS units in that map with the USAR and Squad, as well as Brush units for the large park and wooded areas in that part of the map. Also it serves as the entry point for all non-LAPD units. * Entry Point C LAFD EMS Capt. Red Cross LAFD Engine 1 and 2 LAFD Foam Tender LAFD Aerial Ladder Truck LAFD Hazmat This is the main fire apparatus entry point with Engines, Foam Tender, Truck and HAZMAT responding from here. Also you have the EMS Captain and Red Cross for accidents and mass casualty incidents. As you can see, this spreads out everyone as best as possible within the games limitations. Hopefully this cheat sheet will help everyone get used to the new map configuration. Mike

You'll notice in the Deluxe version that the bubbles are ALWAYS there, even when no car is. But still there is just one car in the drink in freeplay. It's only in the missions do you find more then one car.

Actually a detailed faq is in the works that includes both informative questions and answers and a smaller section of annoying/beyond dumb questions. I've been going through all of the main threads, and working on gathering a list of questions, suggestions, comments and such and while not everyone will be included, you can expect to see questions like: "What is the difference between unit a and unit b (sheriff and chp)" "Why don't you have more lights and sirens?" "There is a sick person in an apt house, how do I get to them?" "There is a car in the water, what do I do?" "The door is locked, how do I get inside?" "My local fd has __ why doesn't the mod?" "I saw this on tv ___" Mike

In freeplay, there is only one vehicle in the water per accident. That is why no other buoys are being deployed. Remember that once you pull up the vehicle, you will need to extricate the victim from the car, treat and transport. Mike

The computer I picked up and frankenstined is a Gateway FX4710-UB003A Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor1 Q9300 (2.50GHz,1333MHz FSB, 6MB L2 cache) 6GB Ram 640 GB HD 18x DVD+/-R/RW Labelflash Drive GeForce 9800GT 512mb Factory Overclocked 15-1 Media Reader 7.1 HD audio 6 USB 2.0, 1 eSATA, 2 Firewire, 2 DVI, 1 S-Video port 10/100 Ethernet 56k Modem 400 Watt PSU This is a stock retail unit found at Fry's, Bestbuy and the like here stateside. Wait for the weekend sales and you can find it for under 900 bucks. I replaced the PSU with a 1000w model, up'd the hard drive space to 4 TBs, added a gigabit adapter, 2nd video card so i could have my 4 monitors, 2 additional fans on the rear, and an extra SATA card to support the additional drives. My custom home built rig blew a PSU after 8 years that fried everything leaving me in the lurch for time. The one thing I looked at more then anything was upgradeability. How many PCI/PCIe slots are open and usable? How many Drives can fit in the bay? Can I access the bays easily? How is the cooling/fan situation? So many of the HP and Dell systems were just horrible in these respects. I have custom needs with gaming being a minor issue which is why I made the adjustments I did. As for playing games though, Arma, Crysis, EM4, MTW2 and anything else i've loaded on here and taken off has run smoothly even with a ton of background processes running. My new laptop also plays EM4 wonderfully and it's not anywhere near that in specs. It's an HP tx2510US tablet. AMD Turion™ X2 ZM-80 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor 12.1" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Integrated Touch-screen, Convertible Display (1280 x 800). Panel rotates 180 degrees and folds flat. Rechargeable Digitizer for handwriting capture included ATI Radeon™ HD 3200 Graphics RS780M with 64MB DDR2 (sideport memory) with up to 1470MB total graphics memory 3072MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) 250GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA) LightScribe Super Multi 8X DVD?R/RW with Double Layer Support Wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g/n & Bluetooth Wireless IR remote control 3 USB ports and S-Video Port Can usually be found on sale for around $950 at Frys and such. I got this because I needed a tablet under 1k and well, unlike computers, the choices were much more limited. Mike Mike

Aren't you already the dispatcher in the game? I'm a POST certified Dispatcher and worked both Law and Fire at various points in my career. As a dispatcher, you find out from the Call Taker the type of incident, a few details, and location, and you decide what units to send. In the game, you find out from the little dude in the corner the type of incident, a few details, and the location, and it's your job to decide what units to send. Do you call from off map? Do you use the units in the stations? Do you send an ALS engine and BLS ambulance for transport? Is it in an area where the Squad might get there first? Do you send both the squad and an ambulance to see who will get there first? Is it a fire and you don't want to deplete all of your station resources so you send a light force from FS1 but call for engines from off the map so something is still inside the station in case a call comes out next to it or far from the off-map entry point? I've never played the Winterberg mod, but I don't see how pressing a button and having it make those decisions for you is worth having. The thing about the LA Mod and LA Emergency services in general is the flexibility that we have in responses. There are numerous units that are similar, but not the same. From ALS engines, to BLS engines, to USFS engine which is smaller and is more useful in the forested parts of the map, but has no deck gun. In real life and the game, there is no "alarm system" for just that reason. If the Incident Commander wants 2 task forces and 6 rescue ambulances, that's what he'll call for. That is exactly how it works now. Sometimes they stop and comply, other times they just ignore the office and keep running. The improvement in the next version which I dont beleive was in the last, is that if the suspect is shooting at you, your only two choices are to pull your gun and return fire, or attempt to grab him without pulling your gun. Pull over and pursuit commands have already been discussed in this thread. Mike

For those asking for a pull over script, as nice as that sounds, the funny thing is that the game is actually and unfortunately, more realistic then you might have guessed. As you can see from this pic (taken while rolling Code 3 through West Hollywood to Cedars Sinai in LACoFD Squad 8), people rarely move for emergency vehicles out here.

Bernt will have a better answer since he took those, but all throughout Europe hobbyists have special events where they show off replica US police cars and uniforms. Some are very accurate, some... not so much. If you remember, not to long ago there was a big fuss by a member of this board who swore that LAPD had a smart car after seeing pics of one at one of these European events. Those pics, judging by the plates and signs, appear to have been taken in Eindhoven, NL

While we've been very lucky to have not had a significant fire in the Port of Los Angeles in recent years, it is more due to the dilligence and efforts of the Firefighters who staff the boats and stations. The men and women assigned to the boats are probably the most active and busy firefighters in the entire department due to their numerous patrols, inspections, training, and assisting Law Enforcement and Homeland Security. Add to that the number of medical aid calls, false alarms, a rescue here or there, disabled boats, and a plethora of other issues, and you find that there is a reason the department felt it needed 5 boats, not just 1 or two. No, nor does it in the next version of the mod. It will be outfitted the same as the truck co. with the addition of the jump bags. If the manual says otherwise, it was a small error thats long been since corrected. Remember, the manual was just a treat Hoppah decided to give to people even in its very rough form.

Honestly, I thought that'd be an easy one with all of the symbols and writing on it. Glad someone finally got it

How about another pic and the numbers? 562

No it will not be included in the game since there was just one in service and it had very poor reviews from the EMS Captains assigned to it. The dept has decided to replace the crown vics with hand-me-down chief's SUV's when the time comes. The LAFD has 8 divers on duty each shift and they are assigned to the Fire Boats at the Port of Los Angeles. Boats 1, 3 and 5 have 2 on board each shift, and Boats 2 and 4 have one each if memory serves me correctly. It's a completely separate qualification and skill rating then the USAR and SWR guys.

Well you know it's an indian rig (BIA logo on the rear door) , you can also see the engine number on the front bumper, and it's the fourth hit in google with the number. Honestly, I dont know how much easier I can make it