HEATHER CASEY
Contributing Writer

Marco Lopez's favorite memories of making "Emergency!" include the pranks everyone used to play, like throwing balloons and making things fall out of the kitchen cupboard. "That sort of took away from any tension on the set," Lopez said. "I miss that - and of course the dogs."

Photo Courtesy John McMahon Ron Pinkard and Marco check out the crowd

The "Emergency!" cast also had fun by throwing the best parties around, Lopez said. There were about 15 other television series getting made at the same location, and "everybody used to invade our parties," he said.

Lopez also used to enjoy cooking for the company on the set kitchen. This was the biggest similarity between the real Lopez, who has been to culinary school, and his character. Although he loves to joke in real life, Lopez is "a little more quiet" and reserved than his character, he said.

One confusion people often have about him and his character, Lopez said, is that "People always thought that I was a real fireman, probably because I used my real name in the show. That's been a compliment all my life."

What has really made the show stand out to Lopez, even more than the fun stuff, is the impact it has had on the rescue services. "We didn't know exactly what it was going to do," Lopez said, "but we knew it was going to help a lot of lives."

"Everything an actor does is really interesting, but this was really special," Lopez said.

Lopez got the opportunity to be on "Emergency!" because he had been working for Jack Webb on "Dragnet," and Webb began using him in some of his other shows, he said.

He is now "just in awe" at the show's continued popularity. "I think everybody is," Lopez said. "Once it was laid to rest we thought that would be the end of it."

After "Emergency!" Lopez worked on soaps, commercials and a few television shows, including "Murder, She Wrote" and "MacGyver." He has now been in Las Vegas, Nev., for 10 years and has most recently been doing commercials in both English and Spanish and writing a book about show business, which should be done in about a year, he said. He just finished a commercial for hotels and casinos and is trying to get involved in a movie coming to Las Vegas. Some of his other commercials have included McDonald's, Kodak, Pepsi and Budweiser.