The Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department, located just a few miles from our nation's
capital, is pleased to announce a major public event featuring
Squad 51 and cast members from the groundbreaking television show "EMERGENCY!"
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Update, Apr. 13
Four actors who co-starred on the series are now scheduled to appear in addition
to Randolph Mantooth, aka FF/Paramedic Johnny Gage.
And they are ...
• Marco Lopez, who played the Engine 51 firefighter with the same name
• Mike Stoker, a real life firefighter, was Engine 51's trusted engineer
• Ron Pinkard, who played Rampart Hospital's Dr. Mike Morton
• Tim Donnelly, was firefighter Chet Kelly, a.k.a. "the phantom," who loved playing jokes on his buddies at Station 51. Johnny always tried to get revenge ... "The phantom is going to get his."
Event Message Forums
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The HVFD and Firehouse.Com, the Web's Community and Resource for the Fire/EMS Service, is proud to
announce "EMERGENCY! Fest," an event celebrating National EMS Week
and the donation of memorabilia from the groundbreaking television series "EMERGENCY!"
into the Smithsonian archives.
On Monday, May 15, the day-long festival will
feature autograph and photo sessions with many cast members,
the restored original "Squad 51" and many other special displays and fun.
Actor Randolph Mantooth (who played FF/Paramedic John Gage) is scheduled to appear along with
the actors who played Firefighters Chet Kelly (Tim Donnelly), Mike Stoker and Marco
Lopez, and Ron Pickard, who starred as Dr. Mike Morton. Many of those behind the scenes
will also be on hand.
The event is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.and last until 4 p.m.
The EMERGENCY! Fest will include:
- Autograph signing and photo ops with all cast members on hand
- The original, restored Squad 51 and Jim Page's "Squad 11"
- Project 51 & E! Merchandise
- Memorabilia from EMERGENCY!
- Organizational booths and displays
- Fire, Rescue and EMS Apparatus past and present
- Medevac Choppers from Maryland State Police, MedStar and U.S. Park Police
- Food Available from The Silver Diner
- Music, Fun, and Much More!
All of Belcrest Road in front of the station will be closed for the Festival from
Queens Chapel Road to the Belcrest Road entrance of the Prince George's Plaza
Metrorail station.
Glossy photos of the cast will be available for $10 from Project 51, as well as a slew
of other commemorative merchandise. There will be a limit of two autographed items
per visitor.
The HVFD is located in Prince George's County, MD, off Queens Chapel Road, one
mile west of U.S. Route 1 and 2 miles from the University of Maryland at College Park.
Ample parking will be available as well as transportation via the adjacent
Prince George's Plaza Metrorail station. The firehouse is about 3 miles
from Washington, D.C. and 35 miles from Baltimore.
The station is adjacent to the Prince George's Plaza metrorail station on the Green Line. Directions
are posted here.
The objective of the nationwide tour -- dubbed Project 51 -- is to share
with the public, on the 30th anniversary of paramedics in
North America, the history of this lifesaving regimen, and
the role that the television series "EMERGENCY!" played in
advancing EMS by ten years. An emergency room on wheels, manned
by paramedics, has changed the face of health care forever, and
Project 51 will document how it all came about.
Stops are also planned in Las Vegas, Chicago,
New York and Baltimore.
Hyattsville is near the end of the
nationwide Project 51 tour which will culminate with EMS Week festivities on the
National Mall in Washington - after donating to the Smithsonian numerous
artifacts that represent the link between the earliest paramedic services and
the television series "EMERGENCY!" on Tuesday, May 16.
While in Baltimore, Randy will take part in an opening pitch ceremony
at an Orioles' game on May 11 followed by his serving as the Grand Marshal
of the annual Preakness parade on May 13. Earlier in the month, on May 3, both will
take part in the National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner at the
Washington Hilton and Towers.
Many of America's firefighters and paramedics grew up watching EMERGENCY! and were
inspired to join the emergency services as a direct result.
EMERGENCY! can be seen daily on Nickelodeon's TV Land. It
is among the most popular reruns on cable television.
For our members, the HVFD will be hosting a full weekend of events beginning
with attendance at the Oriole's game on Thursday, May 11. The last major HVFD
"member trip" was in 1998 when 35
members and their guests traveled to New York City and the Late
Show with David Letterman.
For complete information on Squad 51's Road to the Smithsonian,
visit the Project 51 Web site at www.squad51.org.
Media inquiries and related requests for interviews
should be forwarded at your earliest convenience.
Please contact Dave Iannone or Brian Gray at (301) 441-8441 or
via e-mail at info@hvfd.com.
Attendees Note: Please do not call the fire station
regarding hotels or further information. Information
can be obtained from the web sites or via e-mail if needed.
