Because of the greater scope of its format, "Emergency!" was a full-hour series, whereas both "Dragnet" and "Adam-12" were half-hour shows. Actual local disasters were worked into some story lines, such as the 1971 Sylmar earthquake which destroyed the newly completed Olive View Medical Center in the San Fernando Valley; and the June 22, 1973 "Crenshaw Fire" brush fire on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.