Richard B. Hammer (July 17, 1930, Los Angeles, California - October 18, 1999) was a retired Captain with the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) and played the role of Captain Hammer in the first season of the Jack Webb produced television show Emergency!. Hammer left the show midway through the first season, because he felt that being a real life firefighter was more rewarding than playing a fictional one. He returned to the LACoFD and retired with the rank of Captain. He died in Los Angeles in 1999 from lung cancer, age 69.