Emergency! (1972–1979): Season 5, Episode 6 - The Indirect Method - full transcript

Okay, next room, same deal.
Five seconds of full wide angle fog,

whip it around high, shut
down both lines, slam the door.

The steam should
knock down the fire.

Of course, we almost always have
plenty of water at a structure fire,

but this is a very handy method
if we have to fight a lot of fire

with just the water
in our tank, okay?

I'll tell you, when I was just starting
out, I worked for an old-time...

I hear we got a new
paramedic trainee on this shift.

Yeah.

Why don't we see if we
can make him full-time cook.

Hey, it's worth a try.



You bet.

Lines back. Hello?

(MEN LAUGHING)

Hello?

I'm gonna start giving tests
on my old-time chief stories,

if I can't get your attention
any other way.

Sorry, Cap. But Chet here was
talking about the new paramedic trainee.

I just thought maybe we
can make him full-time cook.

Hmm.

WOMAN: Sorry.

I'm a lousy cook.

You, I assume, are the Captain?

Yeah, that's right.
You are the new trainee?

That's right.
Karen Overstreet.



Yeah, Captain Stanley here.
Gentlemen, our new trainee.

This is Mike Stoker
there, and Marco Lopez.

Stoker, Lopez.
Hi.

STANLEY: That's
Chet Kelly back there.

Kelly.

And these two, you'll be
working with. This is Roy DeSoto.

DeSoto.

And John Gage.

Hi, nice to meet you.

STANLEY:
We'll finish this later.

Welcome to Station 51.

Yeah, it's real nice
to have you with us.

Where you from?

Northern California.
Oh.

Redding.

Fire Department?

Emergency room.
Hospital.

Ah.

(CLEARING THROAT)

Well, I don't know
where we should start.

Well, why don't we start by
you showing me the Squad.

Yeah, well...

Look, maybe we can
do that in a few minutes.

Why don't you grab
a cup of coffee?

Yeah, right.

We're just gonna go and
talk to the Captain real quick,

and we'll be right back, okay?

See you later.
Okay, see you later.

Is anything the matter?

No.
No.

No, no.
Everything's fine.

Okay.

Captain, what is going on?

Complaining?

No, sir, I'm not complaining.

Roy?

Well, there's no problem,
except why didn't you tell us?

I didn't know myself till
she walked in the door.

You know, this could get a little
complicated, her training with us.

If you know what I mean.

I know what you mean.

I just got off the phone
with headquarters about that.

And?

Department policy is department
policy. That means you train her.

But she's only gonna
work half shifts,

so that should uncomplicate
some of the complications.

If you know what I mean.

So, how's the fire biz?

Fine.

Real good.

Do you guys usually have such
fascinating conversations or is it me?

Am I that stupefying?

Well, it's kind of
unusual, you know.

Well, hang in there. You
might even get to like it.

In the meantime, how are we going to
get past this awkward preliminary phase?

Oh, my head is throbbing.

(GROANING)

Hey, Chet,
will you quit kidding?

Hey, I don't think he's kidding.

Stay back!

(SIRENS WAILING)

DISPATCHER ON RADIO:
51, informant reports

toxic chemicals are stored
in a tanker.

Use caution.

KELLY ON RADIO: Squad 51, this is
Rampart. Can you send me some EKG?

JOHNNY ON RADIO:
10-4. Transmitting EKG.

We're sending you a strip.
Vitals to follow.

Pulse is 160. The victim
is in extreme pain, Rampart.

(INTERCOM BEEPING)

This patient is in V-fib.

Rampart, we have lost the
victim's pulse. Beginning CPR.

(RAPID BEEPING)

We're defibrillating victim,
Rampart.

Rampart, we've defibrillated
victim. Decent sinus rhythm.

JOE ON RADIO: Administer 2 amps
sodium bicarb and insert an airway.

KELLY ON RADIO: Start
an IV, 51. Lactated Ringer's.

DIXIE: Squad 51, continue monitoring
Vitals and transport immediately.

JOHNNY ON RADIO:
We're on our way, Rampart.

Gage! DeSoto!

I want you to see this.
It's a classic case...

Ow!

Of pseudo cerebral aneurysm.

Well, I was only just
playing a little joke on you.

You didn't have to rub
a hole in my chest.

And you didn't have to try
and make a fool out of me.

Now, will someone
please show me the Squad?

(ALARM SOUNDING)

DISPATCHER: Station 51, police
request you at unknown-type rescue.

Mile Post Two
on Old Citrus Road.

Mile Post Two
on Old Citrus Road.

Time out, 08:45.

Station 51, KMG 365.

(SIRENS WAILING)

(HORN BLARING)

You got the James
Gang holed up in there?

Just one old lady with a
bird gun and a sick old man.

It's a freeway eviction. They're putting
the new on ramp right through here.

The old lady faced down
the marshals,

and they called us.
We've got a standoff.

I don't wanna have to
shoot my way in there,

and I sure don't want her
shooting up any of my people.

What's wrong with the old man?

I have no idea.
Are you the paramedics?

Yeah.

Mrs. Hurley, this is
Sergeant Weeks again.

Two nice young paramedics
are here with me.

They want to come inside
and take care of your husband.

Where are they?
I don't see 'em.

Okay, show yourselves,
boys. Real easy now.

All we want to do is come in

and see if we can do something
for your husband, all right?

Just don't try to take
the gun away from me.

I swear, I'm not
afraid to use it.

No, ma'am. We just want to see if
we can do something for your husband.

All right, come on.

Get the drug box.

Who's that with you?

I'm one of the paramedics.
Do I look like a policeman?

Are you a nurse?

(STUTTERING) Yes, ma'am. She is.

All right.
Come on.

Would you shut the door, please?

Ma'am, can you please
not point that gun at us?

Just do what you
came here to do.

Okay. Karen, put on the O2.

Pulse is 140. Respiration's
40 and shallow.

Okay.

What's the matter with him?

We don't know yet, ma'am.

Does he have a history
of heart trouble?

Is it his heart?

Ma'am, we don't really
know that.

How long has he had
difficulty breathing?

Two or three hours. I didn't
know it was a heart attack.

Ma'am, we don't
really know that.

Rampart, this is Squad
51. How do you read me?

Unit calling in,
you wanna repeat?

Rampart, this is Squad 51.
We have a male in his 70s.

He began having difficulty breathing
about two or three hours ago.

He is stuporous, he is diaphoretic
and he's markedly cyanotic.

Stand by for vital signs.

BP is 40 over zero.

Rampart, vital signs
are 40 over zero on the BP.

Pulse is 140, respiration
is 40 and shallow.

No rates, but there's a
plural rub on the right.

Rampart, we have no rates, but
there's a plural friction rub on the right.

We've started 02. Request
permission to start IV.

10-4, 51.
Start an IV with D5W.

Piggyback second IV with D5W,

add two amps norepinephrine
and send me an EKG strip.

JOHNNY: 10-4, Rampart.

Page Dr. Brackett
for me, please.

What do you want me to do?

All right, I want you to patch
him in, so we can send a strip.

Okay, can you hear me okay?

Sir, can you hear me?

Do you have any pains anywhere?

Here.

Yeah? Is it a sharp pain?

It really hurts.

Rampart, victim is complaining of a
pleuritic pain in his right lower chest.

10-4, 51.
Where's that EKG?

I think we've got a pulmonary
embolism pretty well along.

They report pleuritic pain.

51, is your patient an invalid?

Stand by, Rampart.

Ma'am, is your
husband an invalid?

He has rheumatism. He's hardly
been out of his chair for a year.

Affirmative, Rampart.
He is semi-invalid.

Are you ready on the patches?

Right.

All right, stand by
for an EKG, Rampart.

Sinus tachycardia
with a rate of 120.

Probably a right bundle
branch block, too.

51, you almost certainly
have a pulmonary embolism.

Continue the norepinephrine,
watch his breathing,

and transport
as soon as possible.

10-4, Rampart.

We have an ambulance out here.

I gotta call in the attendants.

We're over here.

Now will you shut the door?

What are you going to do?

Ma'am, he hasn't had a
heart attack, but he's very sick.

Now he's got to
get to a hospital,

you should come along with him.

Oh, no. No, you're not
taking him anywhere.

And he's going to
stay right here with me.

Ma'am, he has
a blood clot in the lung.

It's very serious.

Ma'am, I don't think you
understand. If this man doesn't...

I understand, all right. The
police put you up to this.

It's a trick to get us
out of this house.

Now...

Now, you all get out of here,
right now, and leave us alone.

I mean it.

You get out of here right now,

or so help me,
I'll use this gun.

That is the stupidest thing
I've ever heard.

Is this house more important
to you than your husband's life?

Ma'am, we've lived here
for over 40 years.

We worked to pay it off.
Our children grew up here.

They're not going to
take this away from us.

Oh, they will.
But they'll pay you for it.

And then, you and your husband
can go anywhere you want.

That's if you still have
a husband an hour from now.

Now put the gun down,
and stop acting like a fool.

You just don't understand.

Oh, I understand. You're
the one that's confused.

(GROANING)

(CRYING)

Come on, let's get in here.

(INDISTINCT CHATTERING
ON POLICE RADIO)

What do you want me to do?

Why don't you carry this for me?

Are you okay?
Anything we can do?

No, we got it.

Got a little hairy there for
a while, but we're cool now.

Come on.

L.A., Engine 51's available.

Thanks, Barney.

He's fully comatose, Kel,

but his BP is 100 over 70.

Carol, I want those
arterial blood gases stat.

Also, draw venous blood for a CBC,
electrolytes, SMA 12, pro-time PTT.

He's got acute cor pulmonale.

Right bundle branch block. Sinus
tachycardia with a rate of 140.

It's going UP-

Bridget, let's push
7,500 units Heparin stat,

and then I want 5,000 units q4h.

There's nothing more we
can do for him at the moment

but keep his BP up and
improve his oxygenation.

Hmm.

Carol, monitor his BP
every 15 minutes

and draw arterial blood
gases again in half an hour.

CAROL: Yes, Doctor.

Roy, Johnny.

How's he doing?

Well, I think he's stabilized.

We've got him on anticoagulants,

but he's still
in a lot of trouble.

We'll know more
in a couple of hours.

I'll go tell his wife.

She getting her feet wet?

That she is.

Kel, you're wanted in Radiology.

Oh, thanks, Dix.

See you later, Doc.

Hey! HOW'S
my girl doing?

Not too bad. She bailed us
out of a bad hole this morning.

Good!

Oh, she's gutsy. I think
she's a little too gutsy though.

Well, you know, she took
a lot of flak during training.

She's might have a
little chip on her shoulder.

Yeah. Well, she's gonna
work out just fine.

Good.

Maybe.

Personally, I think the trainees
that have something to prove,

they make me nervous.

They try too hard.

Engine must be on a run.

Get you anything?
Uh-uh.

I would like an evaluation
of this morning's run.

Yeah, sure.

We would've done it
sooner or later anyway.

Well, first off, you found a
plural rub, that's very good.

Oh, thank you.

Okay, what wasn't so good?

Well, you were a little
hard on the victim's wife.

She was behaving
stupidly. Agreed?

She was under a lot of pressure.

And it could have
gone either way there.

Look, we got him out okay.
Isn't that all that matters?

What we're trying to say is
that you might ease up a bit.

The three of us are going to
have to work together for a while.

Agreed. And that's
a very good point.

So how come my first
five minutes at the station,

I get some clown
pulling a phony aneurysm

while the rest of you just
stand around and watch?

Is that your
standard initiation?

Look, sometimes when a new guy
arrives at the station...

No. It isn't
our standard initiation.

Thank you.

Look, I don't want
any special privileges,

but I really don't want any
special obstacles either.

I'm here for one reason,
to train.

I'm not here to win popularity
contests or to meet eligible bachelors

or to participate in any
fourth-grade firehouse humor.

So why don't we all just
go about our business? Okay?

Okay. We'll all just
go about our business.

But our job is to be able to ease you
into functioning just as well as we do

in life-or-death situations.

So you do exactly what we
tell you to do and no more.

As soon as we see you're capable,
we'll let you have more responsibility.

Just like any other trainee.
Is that fair enough?

I don't get to act on
my own initiative at all?

No, not yet.

I see.

Fair enough?

Just as long as you don't let
my being a woman enter into it.

Look, I'll tell you what. We'll
forget about that, if you will.

(sums)

(ALARM SOUNDING)

DISPATCHER ON RADIO: Squad 51, Engine
37 in place of Engine 51, injured man.

12459 Duckworth.

1-2-4-5-9 Duckworth.

Cross street, Tierra.

Time out, 12:15.

Squad 51. KMG 365.

(SIRENS WAILING)

(MONITOR BEEPING)

Any change, Mike?

Not for the better, Kel. His
tachycardia's still way up there.

Had to increased the FiO2 and
add two amps of norepinephrine

to get his blood pressure up.

Let's just try
and keep him stabilized

and hope the arterial
spasm decreases.

I'd hate to have to
resort to an embolectomy.

Let's give it
a couple more hours.

How's he doing?

Not very good.

Look, you kids stay
back out of the way now.

(SIREN WAILING)

I'm working in
my yard over there

when I see Joe coming
out that window head first.

He was trying to kill himself!

Had the gas on in there and
he was handcuffed to a pipe.

I'll go get the cable
cutters, get that thing off.

What have you got?

Attempted suicide. You
better check the house for gas.

Peters, Johnson.
Let's go!

Karen, I want you to get vitals.

First, I want you to hold
his head, I'm gonna turn him.

At the last minute,
he changes his mind

and pulls loose from the pipe.

I guess he broke
his wrist doing it.

ROY-

Roy, we got a
possible broken wrist.

Okay.
I'm gonna turn him over.

Okay, you got his head?
Yeah.

Okay, easy does it.
One flow. All right.

There we go.

There we go.

Okay, you want to move
over here? I'll get in there.

Okay.

Okay, you want to give
me a hand over here?

Support this wrist for me.
I'm gonna try to cut these off.

Okay, don't, don't.
Don't bend it there.

There we are.
Easy on that wrist.

Rampart, this is Squad 51.

Go ahead, 51.

ROY: Rampart, we have a male
victim here, about 40 years old.

Victim dove through a glass
window to avoid suicide by gas.

Victim's got lacerations

on the face, the head and
the upper part of the body.

He's got a broken wrist
on the right side.

He's sluggish and somewhat
shocky. Stand by for vitals.

Pulse is 110.
Respiration's 24.

Pupils equal and reactive.

ROY: Vitals. Pulse is
110, respiration's 24,

and the pupils are
equal and reactive.

Stand by for BP, Rampart.

Roy, correction on the pupils.

They're both reactive,
but the right eye is dilated.

ROY: Rampart,
correction on the pupil.

They're both reactive,
but the right pupil is dilated.

(BLOOD PRESSURE METER
INFLATING)

(AIR HISSING)

Roy, we've got a little
bleeding in the ears.

ROY: Rampart, we show
a slight bleeding in the ears.

He doesn't look very good. He
was talking a blue streak at first,

but now his face looks funny.

What do you mean?

Kind of flat on that side.

Roy?

Rampart, victim's speech has apparently
deteriorated according to a neighbor here,

and we have a flattening on
the right nasal labial crease.

(SIREN WAILING)

JOE ON RADIO: 51, I suspect
intracranial hemorrhage.

Start an IV, half normal saline,
and transport as soon as possible.

10-4, Rampart.

Get a neurosurgeon down
to the ER as fast as possible.

The gas is off.
You need some help?

Yeah, backboard and sandbags.

Come on, Karen.

Poor guy. His wife died
a couple of months ago.

I guess he couldn't
stand being alone.

He had rugs and things
stuffed under all the doors.

And you ought to see
that pipe in there.

He actually bent it when
he tore loose from it.

One of those superhuman
strength things.

I guess he realized at the
last minute he was being a jerk.

Karen, you better get
going with Johnny, huh?

Karen?

Get going-

ROY: Doc?
Yeah.

How's our head injury doing?

Well, I have him in surgery now.

The neurosurgeon thinks
they got him in time.

Incidentally, what was the
mix-up on his pupillary reactions?

We just didn't catch it in time.

Who's we?
The trainee?

We were checking right behind
her. I don't know what happened.

You think it was
just first-day jitters?

Yeah, probably.
Yeah.

Okay, I'll see you.

Yeah.
See you later, Doctor.

We're ready to go.

How's the BP, Carol?

Not strong.
60 over 40.

Speed up
the norepinephrine drip.

Right, Doctor.

The latest blood gases should
be down in a couple of minutes.

That heart rate's
still up there.

How is he?

Hanging on, that's all, Dix.

Brackett wants us
to give him another hour.

Cap, that was a very good meal.

You through?
Mmm.

How come she's so quiet
all of a sudden?

I'll tell you later.

Uh-huh. Bet you
asked her out, huh?

I think you did, and I think
that's why she's so depressed.

Because you were her only offer.

Chet, you know something?

Forget it.

Ah, so she asked you out
and you accepted

and that's why
she's depressed, huh?

Will you knock it off?
Will you just knock it off?

Oh, I know you got
something going, pal.

(STUTTERING) I mean, you know,
I know when you're being devious.

I read you like a book, Gage.

You're even obvious when
you're trying to be subtle.

Chet...

See, I struck a nerve, didn't I?

(ALARM SOUNDING)

DISPATCHER:
Engine 51, trash fire.

Karen?

Karen, that's not for us.

Sorry.

1236 Greenleaf.
Time out, 14:18.

STANLEY: Engine 51.
KMG 365.

Hey, Karen, how'd you like
to help me with the dishes?

Sure.

The last blood gases show
the oxygen level to be up.

Hmm, and his rate
is slowing down.

BP is up, Doctor.
105 over 60.

Terrific.

Maybe that arterial spasm
is finally easing.

Dix, call Cardiac
Catheterization.

Tell them they won't have
a customer after all.

Mr. Hurley's
past his crisis.

Can you hear me?
Huh? You all right?

He's conscious, Kel.

Dix, tell Mrs. Hurley she can
see her husband now. Right.

Hurley, you almost left me alone
to grow old by myself, didn't you?

Course, the old homestead
is going to be a freeway,

but I'm not about to
move to St. Petersburg

and play gin rummy with a lot of blue-haired
old ladies for the rest of my life.

Maybe I...

I could find me a boyfriend like
that good-looking young doctor there.

But I don't think I could make the
adjustment to such a young, handsome fellow.

Doctor, do you suppose you
could leave us alone for a while,

so I could hold hands
with this old man?

All right.

Just for a few minutes.

You know, Hurley, I was gonna
hold out until they shot me dead.

But that young woman that came
in with the firemen this morning,

she called me stupid.

She was rude.

But she was right.

(ALARM SOUNDING)

Squad 51, man down, corner
of Alvarado and La Crescenta.

Alvarado and La Crescenta.
Time out, 08:20.

Squad 51, KMG 365.

(SIRENS WAILING)

It's my uncle.

We were on our way to
breakfast, and he just collapsed.

There's no pulse or
anything. Is it too late?

JOHNNY: Does he have
a history of heart trouble?

Yeah, he's had a bad
heart for a long time.

Okay-Okay-

Check the pulse.
Check the pulse.

No pulse.

Johnny.

O2.

Okay, we're on when
you want to check him.

Def tb.

(BEEPING)

One, two, three.

Clear.

Nothing.

Oxygen, oxygen.
Get on the O2.

Rampart, this is Squad 51.
How do you read?

Yeah, go ahead, 51.

Rampart, we have a male,
approximately 60 years old,

heart attack before we arrived.

We've started CPR.
We've defibrillated once.

Request permission to start
an IV, esophageal airway.

Affirmative, 51.
Start an IV with D5W,

give him two amps bicarb,
and defibrillate again.

10-4, Rampart.

Karen. Karen, take over
here. Take over here, honey.

You ready?
Yeah.

Okay, go on.

JOHNNY: Can you hand me
that esophageal?

Okay. All right,
take it off.

This is his third or fourth
attack. Is he gonna die?

ROY: Not if
we can help it.

Okay, we're patched in.
Lift the IV.

(KAREN PANTING)

Okay.

Here you go. Okay,
let's hit him again.

ROY: Charge.

One, two, three.

Clear.

Nothing.

51, he's still in V-fib.

Administer bolus of 100 milligrams
lidocaine, then defibrillate again.

10-4, Rampart.

Lidocaine in.

Charge.

(DEFIBRILLATOR CHARGING)

ROY: One, two, three.

Clear.

ROY: Straight line.

Rampart, patient's
a straight line.

51, push five cos of 1
to 10,000 epinephrine IC.

Five cos of 1 to 10,000
epinephrine IC, Rampart.

I can't do this anymore. I
don't have any strength left.

All right, then let me
take over, okay?

On three.
One, two, three.

Karen, swab him
down here. Quick.

(PANTING)

Karen, quick.
Swab him down.

Come on, give it to me.

And it's all your
fault, huh? Here.

Well, he's dead, and I sure didn't
do very much to help keep him alive.

When you left here, you were
as good as anyone we've trained.

What happened?

All through training I
kept running into people

who would say that they didn't think
that I could make it as a paramedic.

I thought since they
hadn't done it themselves,

that they didn't know what
they were talking about.

Now I find that I am at a fire station
where no one can relate to me,

and I really am an outsider,

and I begin to think that maybe
there's a valid reason for it.

Well, of course,
there's a valid reason.

The guys have never worked
with a girl before.

But right from the start I tried to get
them to treat me like anybody else.

But you aren't like
anybody else, to them.

I always felt at a disadvantage.

You know, I see myself
turning into this

incredibly defensive person,

and I don't know
what to do about it.

Seems to me that
maybe you're so busy

trying to show the firemen
you can cut it,

that you're blowing
your own self-assurance.

Of course, if you want to, you can
always go ahead and quit the program.

That wouldn't show
anybody anything, would it?

It would sure prove
something, all right.

I see what you mean.

You're okay, for a girl.

Got to get back to work.

Me, too.

(sums)

So anyhow...

How does a nice girl like me
make a go of it in a place like this?

Well, it's like I told you before,
you just got to be patient.

We're not gonna have you
do anything you can't handle

and we're there to back you up.

When do I learn
if I can do it on my own?

When you have to.

Okay.

(ALARM SOUNDING)

Station 51, Engine 36,
Engine 127, structure fire,

129 East Alhambra.

Cross street, Ninth.
Time out, 13:40.

Station 51, KMG 365.

(SIRENS WAILING)

(HORN BLARING)

We had some fire upstairs

and now I'm not sure
about downstairs.

Anybody still in the house?

Nobody's home downstairs,
but my sister-in-law's upstairs.

She's an invalid.

Which room?

Corner room in the back.

STANLEY: Okay, go bring
her out. Use your air masks.

SMITH: Those are two separate
residences. There's no stairway inside.

Okay. Kelly, you and I will go
in there with an inch-and-a-half.

Stoker, as soon as
you get water to us,

you mule a line
back to the hydrant.

Right, Captain.

Marco, grab a line, and cover
Gage and DeSoto over there.

Better get the equipment.
Drug box, Biophone,

defibrillator and O2, all right?

Thanks Roy.

INFO 1 ON RADIO: Press Room,
Engine 163 is requesting a tow truck

at Maywood and 71st Street.

10-4, Info 1. The Press
Room has been notified.

Hurry UP-

Move out, kids,
you're gonna get hurt.

Move out.
Come on, let's go.

(DISPATCHER CHATTERING
ON RADIO)

Watch out, we could
get a backdraft explosion!

Stand back, it's gonna collapse!

Bring her around to the window!

Carl, you got a ladder,
don't you?

Right around here.

Five seconds of fog, whip it
around in there and shut it up.

(SIREN WAILING)

Cap, this hydrant's dry. You'll have
to lay line from the other hydrant.

(COUGHING)

Okay, hand her
down to me, all right.

(GROANS)

Get the defibrillator.

Right.

Hey! Hey! Over here!

Come on, on the double! Put the
ladder for me! The second floor is gone!

(BEEPING)

Okay, clear.

He's converted.

How you doing, Dick?
Assist my man inside, will you?

Engine 127, Engine 51,
come in and hit the attic fire.

Truck 127, come in
and open up the roof.

The O2.

Yeah, I know that.

He's got a pulse and
he's breathing on his own.

L.A., this is Squad 51. Respond
an ambulance to this address.

DISPATCHER ON RADIO:
Squad 51.

Everything's under control, Cap.

I don't know how...

Well, hi.

You should have
seen her one-man CPR.

It was almost as good as mine.

Well, if it gets close, I'd rather
have Karen do it every time.

Well, just give me a call.

Hey, remember,
he's a married man.

(STUTTERING) Not
that I meant anything is...

Theoretically speaking,
of course, it's just...

Well...

(MUMBLING)