Emergency! (The tv show)
Okay, I am freely admitting to much fangirling with this 70s show. I enjoyed it as a kid and I am still enjoying it as an adult on Netflix.
It starts at the dawn of the paramedic program in LA. Two firefighters, Roy Desoto (Kevin Tighe) and John Gage (Randolph Mantooth) go through the training and become some of the first paramedics in the city. I don't know if it has been proven, but the show is credited with helping to spread the paramedic program across the country.
The paramedics are required to be in constant contact with a hospital whenever they are on a call. They are supervised by Dr. Kelly Bracket (Robert Fuller) or Dr. Joe Early (Bobby Troup). Assisting are Nurse Dixie McCall (Julie London) and Dr. Mike Morton (Ron Pinkard).
While there is some interpersonal drama, the show revolves around the paramedics and medical staff helping people. There are several incidents for each episode, some major and some minor. You get to see the medical and rescue stuff played out. Mantooth and Tighe actually completed the paramedic training, they just didn't take the final. A couple of the other firefighters on the show were actual firefighters who also had SAG cards. The man that drove the big engine was certified to drive that vehicle.
The show ran for five years and people still go by the real-life station that stood in for Station 51. The trucks are on display in a couple of different places and Universal Studios was allowed to name its station as Station 51 in 1994.
One of the things I really like about the show is they did try to be accurate with the equipment and techniques at the time. Many people claimed to have used first aid techniques shown in the show to save lives. It was after these reports that first aid and CPR began to be routinely taught. The show did eventually put in a disclaimer discouraging people from performing any of these activities without training.
Because this show is from the 70s, cars don't blow up at the least little bump and not every case is dangerous. There are dangerous and difficult cases and watching them fight the clock for some things (like a snake bite) are dramatic in and of themselves. I also enjoy seeing the more ordinary aspects of firefighter/paramedic life like cooking and cleaning, restocking supplies and that sort of thing. They recreated the inside of the station they used (Station 127) so you get a real idea of how they live. No glamor, but it makes it more accessible.
I don't know if an episodic show like this would get on the air in this age of story arcs and major drama, but I really enjoy it. If you miss an episode, no biggie and I would rather be involved in the lives of real life people than TV show people.
It starts at the dawn of the paramedic program in LA. Two firefighters, Roy Desoto (Kevin Tighe) and John Gage (Randolph Mantooth) go through the training and become some of the first paramedics in the city. I don't know if it has been proven, but the show is credited with helping to spread the paramedic program across the country.
The paramedics are required to be in constant contact with a hospital whenever they are on a call. They are supervised by Dr. Kelly Bracket (Robert Fuller) or Dr. Joe Early (Bobby Troup). Assisting are Nurse Dixie McCall (Julie London) and Dr. Mike Morton (Ron Pinkard).
While there is some interpersonal drama, the show revolves around the paramedics and medical staff helping people. There are several incidents for each episode, some major and some minor. You get to see the medical and rescue stuff played out. Mantooth and Tighe actually completed the paramedic training, they just didn't take the final. A couple of the other firefighters on the show were actual firefighters who also had SAG cards. The man that drove the big engine was certified to drive that vehicle.
The show ran for five years and people still go by the real-life station that stood in for Station 51. The trucks are on display in a couple of different places and Universal Studios was allowed to name its station as Station 51 in 1994.
One of the things I really like about the show is they did try to be accurate with the equipment and techniques at the time. Many people claimed to have used first aid techniques shown in the show to save lives. It was after these reports that first aid and CPR began to be routinely taught. The show did eventually put in a disclaimer discouraging people from performing any of these activities without training.
Because this show is from the 70s, cars don't blow up at the least little bump and not every case is dangerous. There are dangerous and difficult cases and watching them fight the clock for some things (like a snake bite) are dramatic in and of themselves. I also enjoy seeing the more ordinary aspects of firefighter/paramedic life like cooking and cleaning, restocking supplies and that sort of thing. They recreated the inside of the station they used (Station 127) so you get a real idea of how they live. No glamor, but it makes it more accessible.
I don't know if an episodic show like this would get on the air in this age of story arcs and major drama, but I really enjoy it. If you miss an episode, no biggie and I would rather be involved in the lives of real life people than TV show people.