Offering my assistance.

[Hoppah]

I'm downloading 1.4 right now so I'll have to wait to see what you did with the dispatches. I'm guessing you only changed the fire dispatches? I suppose I'll find out. I'll be sure to add my comments in here if I have any.

The file isn't included in 1.4 yet.

[Guest zlink]

Hey Hoppah,

I just wanted to let you know that i work for two fire departments here in the united states and if you have any questions about accuracy or anything at all i am here to help. I love your work. I have EM3 installed at the fire station with your mod on it. I eventually want to learn how to skin vehicles and create my fire department. Anyways i am always taking classes in the fire service and staying up to date so don't hesitate to message me. Talk to you later

Zack

[Guest RunAwayScientist]

Hey Hoppah,

I just wanted to let you know that i work for two fire departments here in the united states and if you have any questions about accuracy or anything at all i am here to help. I love your work. I have EM3 installed at the fire station with your mod on it. I eventually want to learn how to skin vehicles and create my fire department. Anyways i am always taking classes in the fire service and staying up to date so don't hesitate to message me. Talk to you later

Zack

Actually....you are useful to me. I'm part of the semi-active ERT (Emergency Response Team) mod for Operation Flashpoint (www.ofp.info for more info). I have absolutely little to NO idea about any kind of proper fire procedures. I have no idea what the difference between an A class call-up and a B class call-up. All the contact I get with FD is either medical related or during community service events.

When I play EM4 I just establish a CP and blast one building with as much water as I can and then move on to the next one. Not very realistic, but hey...it gets the job done.

Learned a little about fire procedure from 'em here and there. I'm trying to get some missions together here for OFP, part of the ERT mod has fire trucks and EMS vehicles in them....two things which I'm a novice in. First-aid and fire-extinguishers is about as good as I get. Would you be interested in giving me the 411 on some of this? It would be much appreciated.

The file isn't included in 1.4 yet.

Guess I'll be twiddling my thumbs until 1.5 then to see....unless Mike'd be willing to pass his event.xml over my way.

--RunAwayScientist

[Guest zlink]

Actually....you are useful to me. I'm part of the semi-active ERT (Emergency Response Team) mod for Operation Flashpoint (www.ofp.info for more info). I have absolutely little to NO idea about any kind of proper fire procedures. I have no idea what the difference between an A class call-up and a B class call-up. All the contact I get with FD is either medical related or during community service events.

When I play EM4 I just establish a CP and blast one building with as much water as I can and then move on to the next one. Not very realistic, but hey...it gets the job done.

Learned a little about fire procedure from 'em here and there. I'm trying to get some missions together here for OFP, part of the ERT mod has fire trucks and EMS vehicles in them....two things which I'm a novice in. First-aid and fire-extinguishers is about as good as I get. Would you be interested in giving me the 411 on some of this? It would be much appreciated.

Guess I'll be twiddling my thumbs until 1.5 then to see....unless Mike'd be willing to pass his event.xml over my way.

--RunAwayScientist

No problem, i would love to help.

you can either post your questions here or send me a personal message or AIM me : zacko11288

Talk to you soon

[Guest RunAwayScientist]

Spoken we have.... We'll make a police officer out of you yet!

--RunAwayScientist

[MikesPhotos]

Hey Mike, how's it going?

Thanks for re-writing the fire dispatches to be more concise and accurate. While you work closely with FD, I'm a PD guy so I wrote those dispatches out of what I know and tried to keep it realistic. Minus the part about God being an arsonist. I guess he decided he just wanted to give the fire department something to do besides sit at the FD and eat chili all day . Ironically, most of the fire-fighters seem to use my voice in the mod.....

Sorry for taking so long to respond. You are quite welcome and I hope you enjoy playing with the new files. I will add one thing though, while having spent the majority of my career in the Fire Service, due to also being an Incident Dispatcher with a command team, I am a California POST certified dispatcher as well and very familiar with the LAPD's communications. All of the Law Enforcement dispatches follow their structure with the exception of no codes used. Because they change from city to city, county to county, state to state, I felt it would be a greater hassle to people all over the world who enjoy this game to try and figure out what a 187 (murder), or a 415 (disturbance), or a Code 37 (stolen vehicle) was.

They were thinking about changing us over to a plain-english policy in Florida as well for all departments; but I don't necessarily see the wisdom in that. During inter-agency co-operation between counties, I could absolutely see that as a good thing. However, some people need a lesson in proper radio etiquette. Do you guys use codes within the city on your radio during normal ops or are you mandated to do away with the radio codes completely?

Completely. From numerous studies throughout the US and abroad, they've found that codes not only complicate and lengthen communications between members of different departments, but has the same effect on those in the same department. Because of that, it has been mandated in the US that

all agencies, be they Fire, EMS, or police abandon brevity codes for clear text as part of the National Incident Management System. You can read some great articles on the switchover and the reasons why at this website.

I'm downloading 1.4 right now so I'll have to wait to see what you did with the dispatches. I'm guessing you only changed the fire dispatches? I suppose I'll find out. I'll be sure to add my comments in here if I have any.

I think I speak for all of us Emergency 4 junkies when I thank you for your help and cooperation and interest in working with Hoppah....and yada yada you know the rest. Welcome aboard the family wagon!

--RunAwayScientist

The file was attached to the bottom of my previous post and I changed both fire and pd to reflect the way LAFD and LAPD communications handles those types of incidents as well as tips on what units are typically deployed.

Mike

[MikesPhotos]

I have absolutely little to NO idea about any kind of proper fire procedures. I have no idea what the difference between an A class call-up and a B class call-up. All the contact I get with FD is either medical related or during community service events.

When I play EM4 I just establish a CP and blast one building with as much water as I can and then move on to the next one. Not very realistic, but hey...it gets the job done.

Guess I'll be twiddling my thumbs until 1.5 then to see....unless Mike'd be willing to pass his event.xml over my way.

--RunAwayScientist

As mentioned previously, the events is attached to my prior posts for you and everyone to enjoy. After reading this I decided to put together this little guide to supplement the tips that you find in the files.

· Fire Stations

○ Main Station - FS 1

§ I keep the main HQ staffed with 1 Task Force which is a fully staffed Engine, Truck and Water Tender, as well as 2 RA's. Sometimes I'll keep a 2nd engine in house as a move up company.

§ I use the Truck and the WT together as a Light Force which I will explain below.

§ Avoid having a 3rd RA at the station. The medics have trouble getting into it when you have that bay filled and you never want to dispatch an empty ambulance.

○ Harbor Station

§ Find a nice parking area near the SE corner of the map and place a Single Engine and an EMS Supervisor there. Due to it being so distant from the rest of the area, it'd be a hassle to use an ambulance for transport, and then move one into the area to cover behind it. Just use the EMS Capt to treat the patient and call for an air ambulance. In real life, it would just be a Paramedic Engine company.

§ Consider an LAX WT as well due to the commercial and hazmat in the area. By using the WT you don’t expose your firefighters to the hazmat and you can pump a lot of water onto the fire. Use fireboats as needed as well.

○ NE Station

§ There is a nice parking lot along the east area of the map just south of the house in the midst of all of the trees. It's large enough to hold a full Task Force. 1 Engine, 1 Truck and 1 WT. Use the Truck and the WT as a light force and don’t forget that Firefighters can be used to stabilize pts before the ambulances get there.

○ South Staging area.

§ Even though it is close to FS 1, the area along the beach and park is difficult for units to get around in. I keep a Brush Patrol staffed with 2 FF's and a trailer in a parking lot across from the big parking garage.

○ Off Map Station.

§ For extra resources and calls in the North west part of the map, I will usually call in resoures from off the map. That keeps the stations available for other calls and keeps them in their First In areas.

· Dive Patrol Boat.

○ I keep it staffed and at the south end entrance to the main river. This allows me to quickly reach the 3 spots that I get the calls in.

· Task Force / Light force

○ A Task Force / Light Force is a concept that is rarely seen outside of Los Angeles. By staffing a truck with 5 men, and an engine with just 1 man you create a Light Force that is versatile and doesn't come with the limitations you find on a Quint. By adding a fully staffed 4 man engine company as well, you now have a Task Force that on it's own can handle many situations without the need for any other resources. How this works in 911/Emergency is that the Light Force is great for Physical Rescue assignements (traffic accidents) since you have the extra man power for stabilizing victims and extrication with the jaws/shears. For structure fires, depending on it's location you can use the WT to pump water while still using the truck for its aerial stream. Or you can use one of the aerial streams and use the men as what is known as a RIC. The RIC is a concept that is used throughout the United States under various names. Rapid Intervention Crew, Rapid Intervention Team, Safety Team, and many others. The concept is simple though. Firefighting is a dangerous endeavor and safety is the #1 priority. By keeping a couple of guys suited up in SCBA's but not part of the actual firefighting effort, they are available to go in and rescue any injured firefighters in the event of an emergency. By having a 6 man Light Force, you have more then enough to man the aerial, grab a hose line, and still have a RIC off to the side. Another plus is that by keeping the light force together at all times, even if you are on a Jumper call, if a fire breaks out near by, you can still respond with enough man power and water to hit it without waiting for the WT to meet you there. No matter where you are or where you go, you have the capabilities of a truck and a Pumper and that cannot be underestimated.

○ The reason I use the water tender instead of another Engine is because of the games physics, the Aerial seems to be very picky at what it wants to reach, this way instead of messing around with it, you can just use the WT's as a quick solution.

· Battalion Chief

○ In addition to responding him to the incident, I keep 1 BC standing by the small console at Fire Station 1 for use as a dispatcher. By keeping him on Hot Key #1 I can always call for resources fast, even on incidents that don't have a chief on it.

· USAR Rig

○ For Physical rescue assignments on the top left, I usually just respond the USAR rig. There's no reason to tie up a truck or engine company that might be needed elsewhere just to pop a door. Physical Rescue assignments are really the bread and butter of the USAR companies in the LAFD due to their extra cribbing and gear.

· Parking

○ On an incident, just like in real life, parking is a primary concern. Los Angeles is a very old town in many ways, and some of the streets are narrow and unforgiving and just not accessible to large apparatus. The same is true in the game! Here are some tips from real life that will help in the game.

§ Send the first onscene engine past the involved structure so that other units can pull in behind him. Otherwise he will end up blocking the area and preventing other units from getting in.

§ Have the second engine park near the front of the involved unit and assign them as backup fire attack. What that means is to have them pull hose and assist the 1st engine crew in putting out the fire.

§ Have the 3rd engine park either to the rear of the involved structure or to the side it is burning towards and protect the other structures. Having the chief park with them allows you to assign him a hot key and quickly see if the fire is spreading to other exposures or not.

§ Use the light force as needed, either aerial streams or for use as RIC.

§ PD as traffic control can be essential especially in areas with railroad tracks. The last thing you need is to backup traffic onto the tracks and cause a bigger problem.

· Police Incidents

○ One thing I've noticed in the game, there is no penalty for shooting an unarmed suspect. From the pickpocketer to shoplifter, if you shoot the subject you can easily haul him away in an ambulance and not have to worry about getting your officers injured. Not quite realistic, but saves time.

○ In the illegal demonstration call, remember that you don’t need to arrest everone, just the person with the Sign. By using the armored vehicle with a water canon, you can easily shoot the instigator and keep others away while your medics pick the suspect up and transport them. I usually respond the armored vehicle, an EMS supervisor, an ambulance, and a few patrol units just in case.

○ For traffic control and other response, I prefer to use the LAPD motor units simply because they have a much easier time of getting in and out of traffic. The fire apparatus also seem to have a much easier time navigating around them as well.

· Mechanics

○ I keep 2 mech's at the fire and police station. They tend to be usefull for fixing aparatus

I am very grateful to Hoppah for his hard work and efforts in showcasing the brave Men and Women of the Los Angeles City Fire Department. Having had the chance to fight fires all over the US as well as in Canada, Australia, Europe and the Phillipines, I've learned that LA is very unique in its methods and operational procedures. Hopefully this guide along with the tool tips in the edited file will give users of this game a chance to see how we do things the LA way.

The other tips are just from my own experience in the game.

[Guest firemanzac]

Mike,

Thanks for the Info. As a FF (Both Career and Voli) I have been doing what you where talking about before I read this simply because its how I know things are done in the Real World. I did not know the mecahnics that fix the train tracks can also fix vehicles so that is good to know.

Hoopa, Ive been following your work for several years now and you never cease to amaze and impress me, please keep up the good work. Whenever I go somewhere for the military, I always bring the game and your MOD I look forward to the next version and the new missions.

Just a couple of thoughts: I would ask though that you keep the light rescue as well as the heavy equipment truck. I somehow really like the little rescue truck and use it to get to scenes quicker (But I cant wait to see the new USAR Truck). Also, a sugestion Take away the extrication equipment on the pumpers. Since you have several other vehicles that carry it, it makes the game a bit more challenging. Also, how about a switch/Button allowing the switch from water to foam on the Water Tanker/Foam unit. This will force the person using it to use the right liquid for the right fire (i.e: on a plane or oil fire I would use foam versus a hose fire I would use water). Just a few thoughts. Keep up the good work!!

Art :1046275747_biggthumpup:

[AUX3AE]

Mike, can you elaborate a bit more on the Light Force concept? On a structure fire, who secures the hydrant for the engine (do the crews split up on dispatch)? I'm also assuming since it's the city, each piece of apparatus traditionally connects to its own hydrant?

Furthermore, is it traditional to see a light force (with the truck) dispatched to a vehicle accident, does it go to a rescue company, or do they just take the engine (pending it actually has rescue equipment)?

It's not really vital to how I play the game, but it really is a different concept I haven't heard a lot about on this side of the country.

[Guest RunAwayScientist]

· Police Incidents

○ One thing I've noticed in the game, there is no penalty for shooting an unarmed suspect. From the pickpocketer to shoplifter, if you shoot the subject you can easily haul him away in an ambulance and not have to worry about getting your officers injured. Not quite realistic, but saves time.

○ In the illegal demonstration call, remember that you don’t need to arrest everone, just the person with the Sign. By using the armored vehicle with a water canon, you can easily shoot the instigator and keep others away while your medics pick the suspect up and transport them. I usually respond the armored vehicle, an EMS supervisor, an ambulance, and a few patrol units just in case.

What? What is this?! Are you actually condoning the use of lethal force against unarmed people?! Tsk tsk.....Not in America! Unless you actually like being buried under thousands of law suits. But hey, that's your perogative. Just don't go about trying to get a criminal justice degree or the good citizens of Los Angeles that commit unarmed theft are screwed. Especially the poor bastards in your game.

I could have SWORN that little oath you take in the academy said something about your duty to preserve life...

--RunAwayScientist

[MikesPhotos]

Mike, can you elaborate a bit more on the Light Force concept? On a structure fire, who secures the hydrant for the engine (do the crews split up on dispatch)? I'm also assuming since it's the city, each piece of apparatus traditionally connects to its own hydrant?

Furthermore, is it traditional to see a light force (with the truck) dispatched to a vehicle accident, does it go to a rescue company, or do they just take the engine (pending it actually has rescue equipment)?

It's not really vital to how I play the game, but it really is a different concept I haven't heard a lot about on this side of the country.

I'll do my best! The Task Force/Light Force concept is all about flexibility of resources. The basic element, the Task Force consists of a single fully staffed 4 man Engine (ex. Engine 88), a 5 man Truck (Truck 88) and a single man Engine (Engine 288) that is refered to as the pumper or "Two Car". The goal is to get 10 men on scene quickly and efficiently with every tool in the shed so to speak. The Task Force (TF) can then be split up into the Single Engine Co. (E88) and the Light Force (LF) of T88 and E288. Wherever the Truck goes, so goes the 2 Car, even if its just to grab groceries at the store, or a medical aid, or traffic accident. This allows the LF to act as either a fully manned truck or an extra staffed engine with all of the tools of both. This also allows for the pumper to supply the truck a water source for its aerial master streams without having to tie up an engine company.

Most Fire Stations have an Engine company there and some are full Task Force houses. There are a few Light Force only houses, such as Fire Station 102 that has just T102, E302 and the Paramedic Rescue Ambulance 102. Because of the area and size of the station, the Light Force there is truly a jack of all trades and is one of the busiest in the nation responding on every call in it's first in.

Now when you mention a structure fire, you have to once again go back to the word Flexibility. Depending on the type of structure, the exposures (other buildings around the involved unit) and who gets there in what order the Light Force can be utilized in various ways. A Typical Single Story Single Family dwelling will have the first Engine go into Fire Attack with the 2nd in unit grabbing the Hydrant and supplying the 1st one. If the Light Force is 2nd in, it's not uncommon and many time preferable to use the Two Car Engine as a pumper and do the supply, thereby freeing up the next engine in. The Truck company will either go into Roof Ops or search and rescue, secure the utilities, or any of the other numerous tasks the great men and women truckies do. But depending on the area and the situation, it's not uncommon to get a Light Force and a Task Force dispatched to the same incident and have either light force be pressed into service as an engine company for fire attack.

As i've mentioned elsewhere on this board, many of the Engines in the LAFD are either Paramedic or Paramedic Assessment Engines. This allows the nearest paramedic unit to be dispatched to calls warranting Advanced Life Support care. With a population as large as Los Angeles City, the Rescue Ambulances are taxed with transport, delays in off loading patients and routine medical aids. By supplementing the ambulances with Paramedic Engines, the load is distributed better and care is rendered quicker. Because of that, LA City and County have found that by using the Light Force you still have an Engine in the house most of the time even if the Light Force or Engine Co are running a call. Once again, it's all about Flexibility.

You also ask about traffic accidents. The dispatch matrix for a traffic accident with possible injuries but no entrapment would call for either the nearest Engine OR Light Force to respond. Which ever one is closer responds to get men on scene quicker. If there is a need for extrication beyond what an Engine Co can do, they will either request an additional Light Force for a door pop for example, or upgrade to a Physical Rescue Assignment which involves a complex algorithm and matrix to determine what units are sent from an EMS supervisor, Battalion Chief, whether or not to send a USAR squad, or the Heavy Rescue Tow Vehicle. By Rescue Company, I believe you are referring to something similar to our USAR Squads. Bassically a large apparatus with Rescue, Shoring and Extrication equipment but no Aerial ladders, pump, water tank or hose. There are only a couple of these through out the city and they are staffed by 2 firefighters. Their use is never as a first choice, but say for example LF 88 is on a call and Engine 88 needs a door pop, well USAR88 can respond much quicker then the next nearest LF. I have seen Freeway assignements with just the USAR and the RA but that was due to the entire Task Force being on a different run and move up companies hadn't quite reached the area yet.

I hope that gives you a little bit more insight into the Task Force/Light Force concept. I know that in addition to LA City and County, Bellvue Wash. also runs Light Forces and I'm sure a few others do throughout the US. The hard part is the additional staffing, maintenance, and space requirements needed. For many departments, a 5 man Quint fits better into their budget. The benefit of the Light Force over the quint is that it doesn't have the same compromises you hear from those who utilize them.

Mike.

[AUX3AE]

I'll do my best! The Task Force/Light Force concept is all about flexibility of resources. The basic element, the Task Force consists of a single fully staffed 4 man Engine (ex. Engine 88), a 5 man Truck (Truck 88) and a single man Engine (Engine 288) that is refered to as the pumper or "Two Car". The goal is to get 10 men on scene quickly and efficiently with every tool in the shed so to speak. The Task Force (TF) can then be split up into the Single Engine Co. (E88) and the Light Force (LF) of T88 and E288. Wherever the Truck goes, so goes the 2 Car, even if its just to grab groceries at the store, or a medical aid, or traffic accident. This allows the LF to act as either a fully manned truck or an extra staffed engine with all of the tools of both. This also allows for the pumper to supply the truck a water source for its aerial master streams without having to tie up an engine company.

Most Fire Stations have an Engine company there and some are full Task Force houses. There are a few Light Force only houses, such as Fire Station 102 that has just T102, E302 and the Paramedic Rescue Ambulance 102. Because of the area and size of the station, the Light Force there is truly a jack of all trades and is one of the busiest in the nation responding on every call in it's first in.

Now when you mention a structure fire, you have to once again go back to the word Flexibility. Depending on the type of structure, the exposures (other buildings around the involved unit) and who gets there in what order the Light Force can be utilized in various ways. A Typical Single Story Single Family dwelling will have the first Engine go into Fire Attack with the 2nd in unit grabbing the Hydrant and supplying the 1st one. If the Light Force is 2nd in, it's not uncommon and many time preferable to use the Two Car Engine as a pumper and do the supply, thereby freeing up the next engine in. The Truck company will either go into Roof Ops or search and rescue, secure the utilities, or any of the other numerous tasks the great men and women truckies do. But depending on the area and the situation, it's not uncommon to get a Light Force and a Task Force dispatched to the same incident and have either light force be pressed into service as an engine company for fire attack.

As i've mentioned elsewhere on this board, many of the Engines in the LAFD are either Paramedic or Paramedic Assessment Engines. This allows the nearest paramedic unit to be dispatched to calls warranting Advanced Life Support care. With a population as large as Los Angeles City, the Rescue Ambulances are taxed with transport, delays in off loading patients and routine medical aids. By supplementing the ambulances with Paramedic Engines, the load is distributed better and care is rendered quicker. Because of that, LA City and County have found that by using the Light Force you still have an Engine in the house most of the time even if the Light Force or Engine Co are running a call. Once again, it's all about Flexibility.

You also ask about traffic accidents. The dispatch matrix for a traffic accident with possible injuries but no entrapment would call for either the nearest Engine OR Light Force to respond. Which ever one is closer responds to get men on scene quicker. If there is a need for extrication beyond what an Engine Co can do, they will either request an additional Light Force for a door pop for example, or upgrade to a Physical Rescue Assignment which involves a complex algorithm and matrix to determine what units are sent from an EMS supervisor, Battalion Chief, whether or not to send a USAR squad, or the Heavy Rescue Tow Vehicle. By Rescue Company, I believe you are referring to something similar to our USAR Squads. Bassically a large apparatus with Rescue, Shoring and Extrication equipment but no Aerial ladders, pump, water tank or hose. There are only a couple of these through out the city and they are staffed by 2 firefighters. Their use is never as a first choice, but say for example LF 88 is on a call and Engine 88 needs a door pop, well USAR88 can respond much quicker then the next nearest LF. I have seen Freeway assignements with just the USAR and the RA but that was due to the entire Task Force being on a different run and move up companies hadn't quite reached the area yet.

I hope that gives you a little bit more insight into the Task Force/Light Force concept. I know that in addition to LA City and County, Bellvue Wash. also runs Light Forces and I'm sure a few others do throughout the US. The hard part is the additional staffing, maintenance, and space requirements needed. For many departments, a 5 man Quint fits better into their budget. The benefit of the Light Force over the quint is that it doesn't have the same compromises you hear from those who utilize them.

Mike.

Mike, that's a lot of help. And it really is a neat concept, I'm more used to the FDNY or Baltimore City way of staffing each piece of apparatus with a designated crew, and having those units respond to designated calls (clearly with some flexibility). Also I was wondering, what is the (rough) percentage of ALS engines to non-ALS engines in LA (county or city)? I hate to bug you with question, but you've made me curious.

[smti]

Hello Mike,

I've downloaded your events zip file and extracted the contents into the LAMOD folder. When I play the game, the information you have added appears to work great, but the in game voices (dispatch etc.) go back to dutch, while the text remains in English. Is there a way to correct this? Great job! I enjoyed reading your posts!

[MikesPhotos]

Mike, that's a lot of help. And it really is a neat concept, I'm more used to the FDNY or Baltimore City way of staffing each piece of apparatus with a designated crew, and having those units respond to designated calls (clearly with some flexibility). Also I was wondering, what is the (rough) percentage of ALS engines to non-ALS engines in LA (county or city)? I hate to bug you with question, but you've made me curious.

One of the marvelous things about the Fire Service is seeing how different areas use different means and methods to accomplish the same goal. The first department I ever joined had a motto that has stuck with me throughout my entire career because it seemed to sum everything up for me so perfectly. "Protecting Life, Environment, and Property." No matter where in the world you are, that rings true.

As for the makeup of the LAFD, as of October of this year it is:

• 129 Ambulances - 89 Paramedic and 40 BLS Ambulances

• 101 Engine Companies – 35 Paramedic and 66 BLS

• 49 Light Forces – 11 Paramedic and 38 BLS

• 5 Fireboats – 1 Paramedic and 4 BLS

As for the makeup of the LACoFD, they are actually a bit harder to come by since there has been a recent influx of new stations and changes. I beleive the current staffing levels are :

 88 Paramedic Squads (including two Lifeguard units on Catalina Island)

 Six Paramedic Engines

 21 Assessment Engines

 Two Assessment Truck/Light Forces

Mike

[Spaloo]

What I'm not going to do:

- Removing the single paramedic. Most people think they're handy, some people think they should be removed. I want to keep some of the original EM4 gameplay, so I am not going to remove them. They're not irritating nor useless either.

Hoppah, just an idea, but since there are 3 different ambulances in your mod, can you make 1 of them with just the 2 medics for those of us who don't mind gettin the stretcher?

[Guest RunAwayScientist]

Hoppah, just an idea, but since there are 3 different ambulances in your mod, can you make 1 of them with just the 2 medics for those of us who don't mind gettin the stretcher?

I believe there's a way you can externally edit that. Check under your UNITS folder and screw around with those files in notepad. I can't give you the exact details, as I've never attempted it myself, but I'm sure you can edit that from a .xml file somewhere in your units folder under data. Take about 30 minutes and see if you can figure it out.

--RunAwayScientist

[MikesPhotos]

Speaking of ambulances, I spent some time at Kaiser this morning and managed to get these pictures for you Hoppah. They're of LAFD's Rescue Ambulance 107 which proudly serves the Chatsworth area. As you can see, many of LAFD's and LACoFD's apparatus are being painted with a more European like Hi-Viz paint scheme in the rear. They're still rare but I believe all new apparatus are going to be ordered with it.

One other thing to note since you mentioned uniforms in your main thread, the LAFD Paramedics do not wear a light blue over dark blue uniform as you have them in the game. Typically you will find them wearing either the dark blue/navy button down Work Shirt, or the dark blue/navy T-shirt with dark blue/navy uniform pants or on occasion like as seen in this pic, Turnout pants.

Mike

[Hoppah]

GREAT Pictures! :1046275747_biggthumpup:

I will change the paramedics too.

[MikesPhotos]

GREAT Pictures! :1046275747_biggthumpup:

I will change the paramedics too.

I'm glad you like the pics and hopefully they are of some use.

I've also been thinking about the Uniforms a bit lately and in addition to the Paramedics I'd like to note that Battalion Chiefs typically wear a brush or turnout jacket, white helmet, and black pants instead of full turnouts. You can see a great example of that here for LAFD.

LAFD Chiefs, Captains and EMS Supervisors Pic(not mine)

as well as for LACoFD

If you look to the far left of the LAFD picture, you can see an EMS supervisor in the Red/Orange helmet and Navy pants.

While I understand your reluctance to change the original gameplay to much, I had an idea about the EMS units that you might find favorable since it doesn't change the gameplay at all.

The Los Angeles City Fire Department utilizes both EMT level and Paramedic Level Rescue Ambulances in the field as well as an EMS Supervisor. With having the newer all red and the older white over red style, it would be possible for your mod to reflect the EMS system realistically.

Right now you have 1 Medic that staffs the supervisors vehicle and replaces the Doctor in the original game, and the 2 medics with a stretcher that cannot heal just stabilize which replaces the paramedics in the original game. The benefit of this is that it stays to the original gameplay, and uses only 2 units, the Medic with the stretcher and the Medic without.

The other option would be to create 5 seperate units which I understand would be more work then it may be worth:

• EMS Captain
  --Similar to the BC he would wear a Red/Orange Captains helmet, Brush/Turnout jacket and Navy pants. By giving him the ability to heal as well as call for additional RA's and Air Ambulances, you'd bassically replace the Doctor with this unit while giving him the additional Supervisor capabilities he has in real life. He'd staff the EMS supervisor vehicle similar to the original Doctors car in the game.
  
• Paramedic
  -- This unit would mimic the current paramedic you have with the exception that the 2 unit w/stretcher could heal just like the current single Paramedic can. Typical uniform is really a mix of everything from Yellow Helmet to Baseball cap to No headwear, Turnout Jacket, Navy Work Shirt, Navy T-shirt, and Turnout Pants and Navy work pants. The benefit of adding the Heal capability to the stretcher unit is that the ambulance only needs the 1 unit to perform all of its functions, or it can drop the stretcher and assist two patients till another ambulance arrives on scene, for example, an 800 series for transport.
  
• EMT
  -- This unit would be similar to the Paramedic but have a different uniform such as Baseball Cap or no headgear, T-shirt, and Navy pants so you could easily tell the two apart. Also whether single unit or with a stretcher they would only stabilize a patient much the way the 2 Paramedic with stretcher can now. They'd mostly be for transportation as they are in real life which is usefull when you have a lot of patients and you want to keep your medics bouncing from one to another while still getting patients up and out like in your terrific race crash scenario.
  

By having seperate ALS and BLS units you can use the All red Box ambulance for an ALS (2 Paramedics) Rescue Ambulance, and use the White over red as your 800 series BLS (2 emts) ambulance and just leave the Classic White over Red van with whatever staffing you'd like.

It's just a thought and hopefully you will find some logic in it.

[Renal]

I had an idea about the EMS units that you might find favorable since it doesn't change the gameplay at all.

It's a very good idea and I'd love to see it, but IMO, a gameplay change would be needed to make the most of it.

On a similar note; does LA have pre-hospital doctors?

[MikesPhotos]

It's a very good idea and I'd love to see it, but IMO, a gameplay change would be needed to make the most of it.

The way I see it, there would be no change due to the fact that the EMS Captain would just be an extra EMS officer much the way the battalion chief is for the firefighter. The paramedic would still function as is, with the single and dual units, but would just be able to heal with the stretcher which would be an added ability. For those who enjoy the original gameplay, they would just use the RA's as they always have with 1 PM and 1 PM w/stretcher and just ignore the EMTs and the EMS Captain.

On a similar note; does LA have pre-hospital doctors?

The Los Angeles County Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical System DOES indeed have medical doctors! While they are not part of the typical daily response in the way that Paramedics and EMTs are, each large agency does employ a Medical Doctor who oversees the departments EMS system. His roles include issues certification, training, and developing standard operation procedures for the EMTs and Paramedics. In addition to that, during times of unusual emergency, they can also respond to an incident especially during mass casualty and natural disasters. By having him on scene, the paramedics can perform additional procedures and give additional medication that they would normally have to radio (cell phone nowadays) contact with a nurse or doctor for.

Los Angeles also has what is known as a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT), which is part of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS). With doctors, nurses, and both paramedics and EMTs, they have been known to respond to large incidents as well. A trend started a few years back at the Pines Fire in San Diego was to respond the local or state DMAT to all wildfires and set them up in the ICP. I happened to be one of their first patients on that incident for a minor issue and I was greatly thankful to have them there!

More common though is the use of Nurses for pre-hospital care and transport in the private sector. Many private ambulance companies such as AMR and PRN utilize Mobile Intensive Care Nurse (MICN) for use in transporting high risk patients from facility to facility and from home to facility. While their use in emergency medical response is minimal if at ever, for departments that do not have their own air ambulance, many rely on Mercy Air which has both Flight Nurses and Flight Surgeons as part of their crew. LACoFD also has some flight surgeons who are available as well I beleive, though I've actually never met one on an incident.

Mike

[police189]

Is there any other type of RA unit LA county or LA city uses and if so can you get some pictures?

[Spaloo]

Is there any other type of RA unit LA county or LA city uses and if so can you get some pictures?

In Inglewood, I sometimes saw an LAFD RA with a freightliner chassis (RA 66 maybe?). As far as LA County, their ALS are the rescue squads, and they use many different private companies for their transport (Westmed, Emergency, CARE, AMR, McCormick to name a few) all with different designs. Some have type 3 ambulances, some just the type 2 vans.

[MikesPhotos]

In Inglewood, I sometimes saw an LAFD RA with a freightliner chassis (RA 66 maybe?). As far as LA County, their ALS are the rescue squads, and they use many different private companies for their transport (Westmed, Emergency, CARE, AMR, McCormick to name a few) all with different designs. Some have type 3 ambulances, some just the type 2 vans.

You are correct. The Los Angeles City Fire Department did purchase a freightliner RA for testing and evaluation a few years back. For the longest time it was at 100 but I beleive it is now at 46's.

As for Los Angeles County, while you are right in saying that LACoFD does use Paramedic Squads with private transports, they also have what are known as Mobile Aid units. Spread out throughout the county and rarely used on a permanent basis, these are a mishmash of Van and Box style ambulances that were acquired from various contract cities and have been brought into service more and more recently. 1 was staffed at the Canyon Fire in Malibu and 1 has also been fully staffed at Fire Station 41 due to the closure of Martin Luther King's Emergency Room.

It is just one more testament to the flexibility you find in the Los Angeles area's Fire and EMS Service. You just might see an LACoFD ambulance on your next call!

[Spaloo]

You are correct. The Los Angeles City Fire Department did purchase a freightliner RA for testing and evaluation a few years back. For the longest time it was at 100 but I beleive it is now at 46's.

As for Los Angeles County, while you are right in saying that LACoFD does use Paramedic Squads with private transports, they also have what are known as Mobile Aid units. Spread out throughout the county and rarely used on a permanent basis, these are a mishmash of Van and Box style ambulances that were acquired from various contract cities and have been brought into service more and more recently. 1 was staffed at the Canyon Fire in Malibu and 1 has also been fully staffed at Fire Station 41 due to the closure of Martin Luther King's Emergency Room.

It is just one more testament to the flexibility you find in the Los Angeles area's Fire and EMS Service. You just might see an LACoFD ambulance on your next call!

WHAT?!?!?!? Station 41 has AN AMBULANCE?!?!?!? Holy crap they didn't even have a fully staffed medic engine when I was there! Just a "medic assessment"! I spent my BLS years working for AMR before the big amr implosion. How does the staffing work in willowbrook? Is it just the 3-4 guys at the station, or are they up to 5-6 with the ambulance? Why can they justify an ambulance there but not in a somewhat farther away area like huntington park? Anyways I'd love to see a picture of that RA 41 (is that what they label it?). Memories....I ran some crazy calls with the 41 guys. I learned alot.