WELCOME
Welcome to my website featuring
my book "Paramedic Chief Extraordinary Experiences from the Streets of Los Angeles"
Here you will find information about me, any press I've been featured in & articles I've written.
Please enjoy and pick up the book at Amazon.
In all my years on the job I have seen many different cases. This is one that ended well.
First Book Signing
Had a great time at Barnes & Noble on May 3rd talking with people and signing their books. Thanks for stopping by!!
Here is a Smallpox article that I wrote back in 2003. Some of the issues are as relevant as they were 20 years ago.
EMS 1 Posted an excerpt from the book
I have been informed that Patrick McCoppin of McMac Publications died on Sunday June 9, 2024. Patrick and his wife, Crystal, have been in the graphic publishing business for more than four decades and are responsible for the publication of “Paramedic Chief - Extraordinary Experiences from the Streets of Los Angeles."
It is through their combined efforts that this book saw the light of day. Along the way both Patrick and Crystal made many unique suggestions that were incorporated into the final product. They were both passionately invested in the end result.
During the lengthy project of writing this book I learned that I was their very last client after a long and highly successful career. I consider myself fortunate to have completed this project prior to their retirement.
In the beginning of this project several years ago I had the privilege of being invited to their Mammoth Lakes home to review all of the manuscripts and materials related to the book. Their generosity could not have been warmer as we made lasting memories and they will sustain me at the loss of Patrick. His dedicated wife, Crystal is truly an angel who took care of Patrick to the very moment of his passing. Even his beloved dog/angel, Teddy, was by his side.
Requiescat in pace Patrick!
Now available in the Kindle Store
A Brand New Release by
Chief Alan Cowen
Los Angeles Fire Department (Ret.)
Recent Amazon Review
Harrowing stories from a man who witnessed it all!
Extremely thorough history of the L. A. Emergency Services told with an intimate and humble first hand account from Paramedic Chief Alan Cowen. From the 1960's to the early 2000's, Chief Cowen has seen everything. He also shares some very personal and absorbing anecdotal stories from the terrifying to the bizarre. Some highlights are getting his perspective of the L.A. riots and the Northridge Earthquake and how both events crippled the city in many ways. If you're interested in this world at all, definitely check it out.
The Story Begins
Now retired, Deputy Fire Chief and former Paramedic Chief Alan Cowen served the City of Los Angeles with distinction for nearly 32 years. As Commander of the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services from 1987 to 1995, Cowen played a pivotal role during a transformative period in emergency response history. His career charts the evolution of modern emergency medical services (EMS), from the inception of the paramedic program in the late 1960s through its institutional changes in the 1990s.
Cowen’s journey mirrors the development of contemporary EMS in Los Angeles—a city recognized as a global pioneer in pre-hospital emergency care. His front-line experience spans decades of innovation, policy shifts, and cultural change in fire and EMS operations.
From an era when fire stations were community hubs to today’s high-risk environments requiring body armor on calls, Cowen has lived the full arc of emergency response evolution. He has responded to and led teams through hundreds of high-stakes incidents, offering a deeply human perspective on public service, trauma, and resilience.
In his deeply personal memoir, Cowen offers unfiltered, behind-the-scenes insights into life as a first responder. He recalls harrowing experiences, such as standing alone at a midnight murder scene before police arrived, and comforting a grieving elderly man who had just lost his wife. These stories reveal the raw emotional complexity behind the sirens and flashing lights.
Cowen’s vivid storytelling is grounded in real-life detail—from the smell of burning corn at the site of a plane crash, to the surreal silence after the Northridge earthquake. He writes with authenticity about the physical and emotional toll of working in emergency services, including memories that linger long after the call is over.
His accounts provide not just a personal history, but a living narrative of Los Angeles EMS. From his first exposure to a mass casualty incident at age 10 on the Culver City railroad tracks, to his promotion as Deputy Fire Chief in 1995, Cowen’s experiences reflect both a personal and institutional journey.
As a senior leader with intimate knowledge of EMS operations and policy, Cowen is uniquely positioned to share how emergency medicine in Los Angeles was shaped—both by visionaries and by necessity. His story is a critical contribution to the documented history of paramedicine and fire service leadership in one of America’s largest cities.