Welcome to Hot Squads! We post active and decomissioned First Responder vehicle photos and videos on instagram (Police/Fire/EMS). This webpage was built to include additional information and FAQ's that wouldn't fit on instagram.
Department list coming soon
If you're part of any department and would like a de-watermarked version of a photo, we're more than willing to send these to departments directly (at no charge). Please DM us on Instagram from an official account, or email us with your department email (use the "Contact" tab above).
100% of our instagram content is created by our account owner(s). All photos are taken while traveling, which is why most of our pictures aren't limited to one specific area.
The primary camera used is a Canon EOS R6 Mark II, with a 24-105 f/4 lens. Various lenses have been used, but this is the primary camera. Even using lenses capable of shooting at f/1.8 and above, f/4 is usually used, otherwise department names and logos would likely be out of focus depending on the photo. Even though "zoom lenses" are used, most photos are shot at 50mm or higher (for multiple reasons).
If we stuck to the weekly posting schedule, there is enough content in the "backlog" to last around 3-5 months without shooting new content (or repeating departments)! We try to keep a buffer of at least 4 months in case of any gaps in travel.
Wondering why you're seeing snow in a picture posted in May? Once photos are taken, they're edited and placed in a folder and pulled when needed. A photo taken today may be posted tomorrow, or 6 months down the road. Photos are not posted first-in-first-out, which allows a wider variety of content without posting too many of a specific area at once.
Department Photo Requests: Please email us from a department email, or DM us on instagram from an official department account.
Individuals: If you have any suggestions, feel free to DM us on instagram, or shoot us an email.