u/FidelityCantBeDead

1975, Los Angeles. A firefighter/paramedic and a civilian are still on scene after a medical call. His partner has already left transporting the patient. They’re finishing cleanup and securing equipment before clearing.

While wrapping up in a front yard, they hear the rattle of a rattlesnake. It’s under a low bush about 2’ from the firefighter/paramedic’s boot, positioned behind and slightly to his left. The civilian is slightly further away, spots part of the shed skin and warns of increased likelihood of strike.

There’s no engine on scene (so no pike pole). The firefighter/paramedic tells the civilian to grab the dry-chem extinguisher from the squad. She backs away, retrieves it, moves to roughly 8–10 feet as instructed, pulls the pin, and discharges toward the bush. Powder cloud forms, snake retreats, and the firefighter/paramedic is able to move away safely.

In a 1975 context, how would crews typically handle a situation like this? Is the extinguisher the best choice?

Appreciate any insight!

This is a separate, much smaller field incident I am hoping to sanity-check, and validate whether the actions themselves are plausible.

Setting: October 1974, Los Angeles County. Marina (civilian journalist working with A-shift for about a month at this point) is helping Nate (firefighter/paramedic) clean up after a call. His partner Johnny left in the ambulance transporting the patient, so it’s just Marina and Nate at the scene. Marina is into wildlife/nature and knows their general habits.

***SUMMARY***

They both hear the rattle. Rattlesnake is behind Nate, coiled/head lifted/tongue flicking under a bush in a front yard, about 2’ from Nate’s boot. Nate is effectively pinned in place due to footing/brush and cannot safely disengage without risking a strike.

Marina spots part of the shed skin and warns of increased likelihood of strike. (“Eyes are cloudy. Vision’s off. Makes it more prone to strike. It looks really pissed off. Like you when Johnny hits the milk carton.”)

Nate tells her to grab the fire extinguisher from the squad. (“How close should I get?” “It sprays ten feet. Try to get a little closer to make sure you get it on the first blast.”)

She backs away, retrieves it, moves within ~10 feet, pulls the pin, and discharges it toward the bush. Cloud of white powder everywhere. Snake retreats. Nate gets covered head to toe in white and sneezes uncontrollably.

Questions:

In 1974 is the extinguisher the soundest option, under these conditions?

Is the distance and approach plausible?

Anything I’m missing about how they’d handle this?

Is there tension because she can back away safely but he can’t?

I know rattlesnake leans boring/expected, but I don’t want bat-shit crazy unrealistic and wind up with a civilian yelling CLEAR over a paramedic on someone’s front lawn.

Thanks again for the feedback on my previous confined-space rescue question. Really helpful!

I’m writing a novel set in 1975 Los Angeles (very early days of the paramedic program) and want to sanity‑check this rescue scene. I’m not a firefighter and could use confirmation or correction on whether the tactics, communication, and gear choices make sense for the era. Does anything jump out as unrealistic or unlikely? To clarify: it isn’t a firefighter‑genre novel. I’m not trying to write a fire service story or represent myself as part of the profession. I just want to make sure this rescue scene is as accurate as possible for 1975 Los Angeles.

If anything feels off, unrealistic, or unlikely for the era, I’d really appreciate hearing it. I’d much rather fix it now than get it wrong on the page.

I kept the summary high level, focused on the operational details, but if more context would help (e.g., actual dialogue, detailed content), I can provide it.

Context: A 7‑year‑old is trapped ~18’ inside a ~22” diameter, open-ended, abandoned pipe, ~30' long. Atmosphere shows low‑level residual vapors, so no machinery can be used. None of the firefighters can fit into the pipe, and this is before female firefighters. The female civilian is a journalist who has been working very cohesively for about 8 months with the firefighters.

***SCENE SUMMARY***

Station 61 arrived to find a child trapped about 18’ inside the corroded pipe, extending about 30’. The pipe is basically level, no significant incline. Both ends were visible, but the far end was washed out. A combustible gas meter ("sniffer") showed low/stable but present vapors. “Not clean air,” according to the engineer, ruling out saws, torches, or ventilation equipment. Cap tells local PD to keep the area clear.

Male firefighters attempted entry but couldn't fit through the 22” opening. With no mechanical options and time running out (storm approaching), the captain considered sending in a female civilian, who strongly volunteered and was the only person small enough to fit. Cap refused at first, but she reassured him of her willingness to try. Cap warned her about jagged metal, unstable structure, oily runoff, and possible toxic residues.

She was fitted with a harness and backup line. A turnout coat and helmet restricted movement, so the crew switched her to lighter coveralls and a long‑sleeve shirt for minimal protection. Movement was still restricted, so she removed the coveralls but kept the shirt. She carried a flashlight in one hand and bandage shears in the other. She was instructed to keep arms in front, stay centered in the pipe to avoid the worst corrosion, move slowly to prevent sparks, and keep her breathing steady. She was also instructed to check the child over to make sure he had no metal (e.g., belt buckle).

Because she would not have a radio, the captain told her to speak loudly so they could track her progress. If they didn’t hear from her in two minutes, they would pull her out. She was also briefed she would have to exit the pipe in reverse, guiding a possibly non‑ambulatory child. And she was warned that the child may not be alive.

Inside the pipe, she crawled on her stomach using elbows, forearms and toes for movement. She reached the child, who was conscious and responsive. (Just scared.) Following instructions from one of the paramedics, she checked the child's pulse at the ankle and assessed for injuries. She found that a small object on a string around his neck had snagged on a jagged lip of metal. Using the shears, she freed it without creating sparks.

She spoke lightly/jokingly with the child, easing his fear. The child was able to crawl backward under his own power while she guided him. Both exited the pipe through the entry point, where the crew performed medical assessment and transport. The child suffered minor scrapes. Marina suffered a cut to her arm from jagged metal.

 

I’m writing a novel set in 1975 Los Angeles (very early days of the paramedic program) and want to sanity‑check this rescue scene. I’m not a firefighter and could use confirmation or correction on whether the tactics, communication, and gear choices make sense for the era. Does anything jump out as unrealistic or unlikely? To clarify: it isn’t a firefighter‑genre novel. I’m not trying to write a fire service story or represent myself as part of the profession. I just want to make sure this rescue scene is as accurate as possible for 1975 Los Angeles.

If anything in the excerpt feels off, unrealistic, or unlikely for the era, I’d really appreciate hearing it. I’d much rather fix it now than get it wrong on the page.

I kept this summary/high level excerpt focused on the operational details, but if more context would help (e.g., actual dialogue, detailed content), I can provide it.

Context: A 7‑year‑old is trapped ~18’ inside a ~22” diameter, open-ended, abandoned pipe, ~30' long. Atmosphere shows low‑level residual vapors, so no machinery can be used. None of the firefighters can fit into the pipe, and this is before female firefighters.

***SCENE SUMMARY***

Station 61 arrived to find a child trapped about 18’ inside the corroded pipe, extending about 30’. Both ends were visible, but the far end was washed out. A combustible gas meter ("sniffer") showed low/stable but present vapors. “Not clean air,” according to the engineer, ruling out saws, torches, or ventilation equipment.

Male firefighters attempted entry but could not fit through the 22” opening. With no mechanical options and time running out (storm approaching), the captain considered sending in a female civilian, Marina, who strongly volunteered and was the only person small enough to fit. He refused at first, but she persisted. Cap warned her about jagged metal, unstable structure, oily runoff, and possible toxic residues.

She was fitted with a harness and backup line. A turnout coat and helmet restricted movement, so the crew switched to lighter coveralls and a long‑sleeve shirt for minimal protection. Movement was still restricted, so she removed the coveralls. She carried a flashlight in one hand and bandage shears in the other. She was instructed to stay centered in the pipe to avoid the worst corrosion, move slowly to prevent sparks, and keep her breathing steady. She was also instructed to check the child over to make sure he had no metal (e.g., belt buckle).

Because she would not have a radio, the captain told her to speak loudly so they could track her progress. If they didn’t hear her for two minutes, they would pull her out. She was also briefed she would have to exit the pipe in reverse, guiding a possibly non‑ambulatory child. And was warned that the child may not be alive.

Inside the pipe, she crawled on her stomach using elbows, forearms and toes for movement. She reached the child, who was conscious and responsive. (Just scared.) Following instructions from the medic outside, she checked his pulse at the ankle and assessed for injuries. She found that a small object on a string around his neck had snagged on a jagged lip of metal. Using the shears, she freed it without creating sparks.

The child was able to crawl backward under his own power while she guided him. Both exited the pipe through the entry point, where the crew performed medical assessment and transport. The child suffered minor scrapes. Marina suffered a cut to her arm from jagged metal.