Yes, I did get to hit the siren. The brief siren burst at the beginning of the video was from the ambulance, not a sound-effect added. But we were indoors in the Convention Center, so I couldn't really "let 'er rip" or let the car run for very long.
As for the thought that this somehow disparages "old EMT's", please remember that, first, this was intended as a parody. Everyone watching knew that. Baxter Larmon (ketchup on his face) is well known in EMS as someone who teaches with comedy. Everyone watching in the stands "got it". But I do have to say that there were a lot of truths to that, too. Much of the equipment in the early days was very heavy (the first portable monitor, the Lifepak 33, was called that because it "only" weighed 33 pounds). It truly was a sign of a "good call" if you came into the ER really bloody - the more blood, the better (been there, done that). Levophed was really called "leave-'em-dead", at least in my training class. The early medics in my area were trained to give "one purple box" if the rhythm was too slow, and "one pink box" if it was too fast, and "a gray box and a gold box" for cardiac arrest, it was truly that simple. The choke saver (which was mine, BTW) was used to blindly check for something in the airway, and the oral screw (yes, that
was it's real name) was used to open the mouth. I really did have the discussion with a partner about which of us was "Johnny" and which was "Roy". Folks really wore those bright orange Dyna-Smocks and Dyna-Jackets on calls. My '70 Volunteer actually was the first paramedic unit at the fire department that owned it. And yes, medics really had to call in for everything. Obviously, Baxter (from California) and Walt (from Pennsylvania), who acted and wrote the skit, had the same experiences. Amazingly, it all worked. And certainly, lives were saved. And those early problems led to improvements later, including lighter equipment, better training, and an understanding of the hazards of bloodborne pathogens. I don't think poking a little fun at how "prehistoric" things were 25 years ago, compared to today, is such a bad thing, especially since nothing was actually false, only the foibles of the day magnified a little! It helps the "kids" of today understand how far we really have come.
... scene time less then 5 minutes unless there was an execution....
Do you mean an extrication? I hope...