Emergency dispatcher crafts LEGO set honoring first responder TV show

Baldwin Borough resident Will McDine has combined his passion for building and love of a classic first responder TV show into a potential package for a Danish toy company.

The Allegheny County dispatcher and former Castle Shannon volunteer firefighter has created a LEGO set in honor of “Emergency!” an NBC show from the 1970s.

Created by Robert Cinader and Harold Jack Bloom, it centered around the crew of Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 51 and its paramedic team.

It stared Randolph Mantooth, Kevin Tighe, Julie London and Robert Fuller among others. It lasted six seasons and was put into syndication.

McDine, 25, said he would watch the show with his family, and it helped inspire him to become a first responder.

“What makes this show so important is it follows in essence what is the first group of paramedics in the country,” McDine said. “The concept of paramedicine as a whole was very new. By the time the show was done after its sixth season, there were paramedic units in all of the United States.”

The show debuted in January 1972. It has been credited by multiple entities as boosting the profile of paramedics.

McDine, a certified EMT, still watches the show mornings on Cozi TV.

“It’s been something that I’ve grown up with and I think shaped me into the person I am now with my job and the volunteer work I used to do,” he said.

The 2015 Baldwin High School grad also comes from a first responder family.

His father, Jim, and uncle, Mike, are life members of the Castle Shannon Volunteer Fire Department, each with more than 20 years of experience.

Becoming a builder

McDine has been a fan of LEGOs for years. Collecting and building with them has been a childhood hobby, and lately, it has become a creative outlet to relieve stress and anxiety.

His proposed LEGO set uses about 1,200 pieces and features the show’s firefighter apparatuses, Engine 51 and Squad 51. Squad 51 is about 4 inches wide and 6 inches long. Engine 51 is about 5 inches wide and between 10 to 12 inches long.

He posted the creations in January through LEGO Ideas, a website that allows users to pitch ideas for potential sets.

The project has about 220 supporters as of March 18. It has about a year left to garner 10,000 supporters to receive an expert review and consideration by the LEGO Group to become a commercial set, according to LEGO’s website.

“It’s always been a childhood dream of mine to be a LEGO set designer,” McDine said. “With the set of this magnitude, ‘Emergency!’ has touched my life and so many other people’s lives, too, who are in public safety … I just think that it would be really cool to see that become even more of a household thing in the 21st century.

“I wanted the set to serve as a thank you to first responders both past and present. We still appreciate you.”

LEGO officials could not be reached for comment.

McDine is a member of Steel City LUG, Pittsburgh’s adult LEGO users group. His fellow builders have given their support to the project.

“We’re very excited to support Will in making his set become a reality through LEGO Ideas,” said Krista Kay, LEGO ambassador for Steel City LUG. “Fire and EMS are a true passion of his and it’s always impressive to see that expressed through his LEGO creations. I encourage everyone to vote for his project to help him reach the next milestone.”