Revealing mistake: At the apartment complex fire, after Johnny is knocked unconscious by the explosion, when the Pasadena fireman finds him and has to lift him up, it's funny how even though Johnny's unconscious we can see that he actually helps to stand himself up, so the fireman can lift him up and carry him out.
Revealing mistake: At the apartment complex where the jet fighter had crashed there's an explosion, and when one of the firefighters becomes engulfed in flames his helmet falls off, and the special fireproof headpiece that the stuntman is wearing is visible.
Visible crew/equipment: Just after Herbert leaves the station in the morning, dispatch sounds the alarms, and when Roy and John are in the squad while the dispatcher begins talking, there are nice reflections of the camera, reflector screen (in the background), and crew members/cameraman who move around, that are visible on the surface of the spotlight. Additionally, the shadow of the boom/mic is perfectly visible on the windshield as it moves down.
Revealing mistake: When Johnny and Roy are crawling on the balcony, during the fire at the apartment complex, when they pass under a window we can see the FX tubes from which the flames shoot out.
Visible crew/equipment: At the apartment complex fire, after Roy removes the ladder from Engine 51, the Pasadena engine rolls up, and when the Pasadena Captain walks toward Captain Stanley, the second cameraman wearing a brown blazer can be seen standing on the very top of Engine 51 to the left, shooting the overhead footage of the Pasadena engine that was just shown.
Visible crew/equipment: When the guys wake up in the morning and walk into the kitchen, the clear reflection of the camera dolly is visible on the oven glass door as it trucks to the right, when the guys see the empty mouse trap.
Visible crew/equipment: At the apartment complex fire, when Truck 82 raises its ladder, we can see the second floor balcony behind the rig, and there is a crew member wearing a long sleeved blue shirt and white hat, standing in front of the corner apartment, where there should be smoke pouring out, but there is none. The reflection of the cameraman/crew member wearing a white hat also becomes visible in Truck 82's wing mirror.
Continuity mistake: During the fire at the apartment complex, when John and Roy go into the apartment to rescue the woman, they throw a coat over her, but then the explosion occurs knocking John and the woman unconscious. When Roy puts her over his shoulder and starts walking out the coat is not over her, but when he gets to the balcony she's covered by the coat, yet when the Pasadena fireman goes back for John, that coat is still lying on the floor.
Revealing mistake: After Station 51 is dispatched to the 'plane crash into a structure', when Engine 51 pulls over to lay the dual lines at the hydrant, we can see up the block on the left, the back side of the apartment complex where they are headed, and most of the back windows are boarded up. The following scene takes place at the front doors of those apartments, where people supposedly live. The show used some real locations (not just Universal's sets) where there had been real fires, to film carefully controlled fire scenes.
Continuity mistake: When the guys decide to eat lunch before resuming CPR practice, Chet puts the CPR mannequin upright beside the fridge. Chet's wearing his regular black shoes, and the CPR mannequin is wearing white sneakers. However, in the close-up of The Mouse crawling under the fridge, the leg we see near The Mouse is wearing a brown rubber firefighter's boot.
Other mistake: After Early carries Martha into treatment 3, and he and Brackett begin examining her, there's a nice exterior shot of what is supposed to be Rampart, only it's not actually Rampart, and we know this since throughout the show's run there are numerous exterior shots of Rampart from every angle.
Revealing mistake: During the fire at the apartment complex, there are strips of black material nailed to the tops of windows where the FX fire shoots out from below, and the doorway Roy passes when he's pulling on the hose has a fake ceiling and wall nailed directly into the door jamb, to control the strip of FX fire at the side.
Revealing mistake: At the apartment complex fire, just as Chet climbs the ladder and Marco holds the top of the ladder on the second floor balcony, we see the plumes of FX smoke spurting from the side inside the doorway behind them, and even see something quickly fanning the smoke.
Other mistake: At 6:50 AM, just before the dispatcher transmits the testing tones to Station 51 which wakes everyone up, we're shown the exterior shot of the station and the two flags are already flying. Guys of C shift (as Chet states) haven't arrived yet that morning, so they didn't raise the flags, and we know it's Mike who always raises the flags on A shift, but he only just woke up when the dispatcher sent the tones.
Other mistake: When Station 51 is dispatched to the structure fire, the address is given as 1127 West Winston, but when they're on the scene, the fire flashes through the front door causing Marco and Chet to fall back, and the house number on the stairs is 1026.
Visible crew/equipment: When Roy and Johnny are at the laundromat with the drunk man, the bulging outline of the mic transmitter is visible on the left side of Johnny's shirt, over his belt.
Continuity mistake: When Roy and Johnny get back to the station, Johnny asks Chet about the condition of the house after the fire, and in the wide shot Johnny has a really red pimple near his chin, but in his closeup the pimple has vanished, only to reappear in the next shot.
Visible crew/equipment: When Charlie, who has smoke inhalation, is placed on the gurney in the treatment room, the actor's white tape mark is visible on the floor, where the nurse stands in a moment.
Continuity mistake: During the house fire, when Chet kicks the door twice he leaves dark marks on the door, but when he kicks the door a third time the marks on the door have vanished.
Continuity mistake: When the guys come out and are watching Herbert leave, they are all in their turnout pants. Stoker is wearing turnout pants with the blue jacket zipped. When the tones drop for the call, the guys go to the vehicles and grab their turn out jackets and Stoker is in his blue pants and blue shirt pulling on a turnout coat. Not turnouts and no navy jacket.
Answer: I believe you are speaking of the old man, Mr. Wilson. He's played by J. Pat O'Malley.
Bishop73
Correct, it was J. Pat O'Malley...he also played the grandfather with his grandson when their rocket exploded, and also played "Old Bill" in the episode with Ann Prentiss, where Gage saves the little girl from the burning tree house, and her mother falls in love with him.