The Wedsworth-Townsend Act
- Episode aired Jan 15, 1972
- 1h
The new LACFD paramedics struggle to prove themselves to a doubtful Dr. Brackett as a pending state bill authorizing their field duties comes to a vote.The new LACFD paramedics struggle to prove themselves to a doubtful Dr. Brackett as a pending state bill authorizing their field duties comes to a vote.The new LACFD paramedics struggle to prove themselves to a doubtful Dr. Brackett as a pending state bill authorizing their field duties comes to a vote.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOne of the three squads (the 1972 Dodge Ram D250 rescue vehicles driven by the paramedics) has been fully restored and is now located at the Los Angeles Fire Museum in SouthGate, California.
- GoofsEarly on, Dixie McCall is established as a former military nurse who had served in the Korean War. Later, when she is injured during a rescue, Johnny tells Rampart her age is "approximately 30". The Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953, which means Dixie would've only been between 9 and 12 years old at the time of the war, far too young for military service, let alone as a nurse. Her correct age should've been closer to Julie London's actual age of 45 at the time this episode aired.
- Quotes
Battalion Chief: Gage.
Paramedic John Gage: Yes sir?
Battalion Chief: That special training program. Remember? We were talking about it a couple of days ago?
Paramedic John Gage: Yes sir. The para-something-or-other...
Battalion Chief: Paramedics. The first class just finished last week.
Paramedic John Gage: Good.
Battalion Chief: I'm supposed to encourage all our young rescue personnel to volunteer for the next class.
Paramedic John Gage: Yes sir. Wellll, I guess I'm just too stupid to take advantage of such an opportunity.
Battalion Chief: I know it's work. No raise in pay. But, it just might be worthwhile.
Paramedic John Gage: It might be, if I wanted to be an ambulance attendant; but I don't. Chief, I'm a rescue man. I trained to be a rescue man and I like being a rescue man. Now, why should I die from improvements?
Battalion Chief: Why should you?
Dispatcher: [tones sound] Squad 10. Truck 127. Possible high-voltage electrocution. 13270 Flower. 13270 Flower. Cross street Third. Time out, 07:51.
Battalion Chief: You like being a rescue man.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Hometown Glory (2010)
And this remarkable made for TV movie tells that story, using real facts and situations worked into a fascinating drama.
Many people were hesitant to move the hospital out into the field, and there were very few believers at first, even among the rescue-trained firefighters who would become these paramedics. Johnny Gage himself is a doubter when his battalion chief approaches him in the beginning of the episode, since he is worried that he would become an "ambulance attendant" and not the firefighter and "rescue man" that he had trained to be.
However, through incidents in the episode, including a near-fatal accident with Nurse Dixie and a tunnel cave-in, the worth of the LA County FD paramedics are proven, even to Dr. Kelly Brackett, the original greatest doubter who goes on to become the physician director and greatest proponent and defender of the program in later episodes. Brackett's speech before the California Assembly committee expressing his belief that short of more doctors and hospitals, trained paramedics were the best alternative, is vital in getting the bill passed that authorized the program.
Emergency! was definitely a show ahead of its time because it brought the reality of rescue into the living rooms of America and spurred countless people to support, and even join, paramedic and EMT programs. A show that still sparks discussion 31 years after its premiere and 25 or so years after its network series finale definitely deserves credit. The show is still relevant in firefighting and EMS circles especially, both from a historical perspective, and as examples of how incidents are handled. The only sad thing is that there is no restored DVD box set available, because although the message lives on, some film prints available on video have not survived well in color and sound quality, and some shown on TV have been shortened for time.
Still an all time favorite for me, I watched it with my father, and now I watch it with my 4 year old son.
- stgcomm-1
- Feb 7, 2004
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