Emergency: The Final Rescues

These final 'Emergency' movies were quasi-propaganda public advertising campaigns by various Fire Departments and Chiefs (outside LA) who wanted to be on TV and to show off their gear and programs, and are now historical rarities = Like the long gone embarcadero overpasses.My Dad was 14 years on Rescue Squad 2 in the SFFD (5 as lieutenant) and mostly worked out of 38 Engine on California Street, both of which are shown in the program - although the 2nd Squad Response shown was in the wrong direction, towards the Pacific Ocean and not the Bay where the Fire was (probably used the same shot twice).We still have Dad's Plastic 'Civil Defense' Helmets worn by the Actors on the show (one black and one white for officer rank), which were used for a short while back then and found lacking, We have a great photo of Dad in full turnouts at a fire wearing his full gear and the black "Rescue 2" Helmet.As it turns out-the Helmets were bad gear and the shields often melted, and they were replaced with newer models that worked much better; hence the helmets themselves are a rarity in with very few left around.To see all of this equipment when first put in to service, and the old San Francisco waterfront (before the Loma Prieta Earthquake) along with all the guys working at that time (TV Stars mugged for the cameras, but they used Real SF Firemen as extras) was a real treat.The Fireboat Phoenix was almost scrapped, until its pumps saved a lot of the Marina District during the Loma Prieta quake when lots of water mains broke. Along with a second boat purchased later they see little use, but in earthquake country in a big harbor - when you need one you really really need that drafting and pumping capacity they displayedThings have sure changed since then - in some cases for the better (no more open cab engines or riding tailboard) and as for others... The Theme of the SF Show is heavily undercut by a Radical Gender Feminist Political agenda,Around that time in SF the exploitation of a Staged Racist Hoax was used by then Judge Marilyn Hall Patel (declaring the Department "Out of Control" and threatening to Jail the Fire Chief - a brave and honorable man who risked his life for years to protect the people) - when she seized her opportunity and employed the brazen hazardous Hoax like a partisan club with spikes sticking out of it - to bash anyone telling the truth about what went on or getting in the way of Her Own 'fundamental transformation job'.BTW - these guys were all not choirboys either, but hard working professionals in a very dangerous field. Many had risked their Lives to Defeat the Homo-Nazi Reich in WW-2, and to be tarred by a Federal Judge with use of that type homo-nazi propaganda slime was a Misandrist (Hateful to Men & Boys, Masculinity & Normal Heterosexuality) travesty worthy of the Frisco Courts and those who appointed the judges.The so called 'swastika-incident' used by Patel was a Fraud created by derelict Fire Safety Inspectors - who had been Faking Safety Inspections (impossible numbers per day) and got caught at it - and then when exposed claimed they had suddenly became the ‘target’ for 'racist' elements who were allegedly harassing them with swastikas - which conveniently took the Focus off their own endangering the lives of so many citizens through phony inspection claims and made them instant martyrs beyond question - by Anyone..Although it was Known Throughout the City Administration and its Legal Departments (I know a former lawyer who was on the inside, and although we are on different sides of many fences; that former City Insider even candidly admitted the nature of the scam and the widespread knowledge of the lie downtown and throughout the Courts) - But This was all the Pretext needed by the Radical Misandrist Judge Marilyn Hall-Patel to takeover the Department by threat of use of 'Contempt of Court' as a punishment tool.Contempt citations require no crime (not that one was ever created - Save for the Hoax) and has no definitive sentence, meaning that although you are innocent of wrongdoing you can be jailed indefinitely. This threat helped keep the Real Story from getting out, and made sure that everyone involved was Afraid, Very Afraid - to utter a word (no matter how true) that Judge Hall Patel could hang them with too (BTW - I myself had passed the Court Certified "Job Relevant / Bias Free" SFFD entrance exam created at that time, but never got a job; because of the Legal Pogroms of Race / Gender / Anti-Hibernian Revenge against the Hated Herero-Patriarchy Pork Byproducts who needed to be 'fundamentally transformed' – preferably in to compost - were just ramping up to our current age of 'tolerance'.We have since seen appointment of the likes of the morbidly obese SFFD Chief Joan Hayes White (pretty much seen as a professional joke – with political power if not professional ability) to Chief, though I doubt at her weight could even waddle up an aerial ladder any more, and not keel over.This Chief of Affirmative action was Promoted in record time, and over far far more Experienced Professionals. Such is the nature of my old hometown of Frisco now, better known to the world today as 'Sodom by the Sea; - which is kind of like the old Barbary Coast, only a lot more cutthroat.SEE" Chief Of Department Joanne Hayes-WhiteProbationary Firefighter to Assistant Chief in 8 Years… sworn in by Mayor Newsom as the 25th Chief of the San Francisco Fire Department on January 16, 2004. She was hired as a firefighter in April 1990 - after graduating from the University of Santa Clara with a degree in business.Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 1993And to the rank of Captain in January 1996.In May 1996 she was made acting Battalion ChiefPromoted to Assistant Deputy Chief in 1998**Howa bout that - 8 years from Probationary Rookie to Assistant Deputy Chief**Soo - This is a great video, and a slice of hyrstory important to understanding how we got from there (in so many ways), to This... Ahem.

Now I have all of the seasons. I can have a marathon

I never got to watch this show very often because I was in school, but I really liked it. It is on in reruns here so on a fluke I checked to see if the series was available. Yay!!! I don't have to deal with commercials and there is an added DVD of 5 additional rescues that weren't part of the series. Anyway, having a great time with this.

This will complete the collection. I will pre-order this.I purchased "Greatest Rescues of Emergency!" on VHS when JEMS carried it. You really see how Johnny and Roy worked together as partners, and after going through their adventures for six years, the bonding that took place. They looked out for each other, and worked as a team. My favorite line is, "Were going to be staying in touch with one another. Right, it's not like we are moving out of town or anything. We are still here, still in the same department, still friends." I was a little kid when I saw this episode on December 31, 1978, and nearly cried that Johnny and Roy were departing ways.About six years ago, a local independent showed re-runs, and I purposely stayed up late the week the movies were shown. I felt OLD seeing the San Francisco EMS ambulances, because the manufacturer no longer makes those "converted Winnebago ambulances", and San Francisco EMS no longer exists - it merged into the San Francisco FD sometime in the 1990's. Another part that made me laugh really hard was when the Haz-Mat unit showed up at the chemical explosion - that Hazardous Materials gear looked useless.I read that the idea was for R.A. Cinader to resurrect "Emergency!" at a different location, and the San Francisco movies were intended as pilots for a spin-off (unfortunately, NBC didn't pick it up). The format of San Francisco seemed like a good place to do this, where the filming crew could spend a third of the time on Rescue (at the fire station), a third of the time at the hospital (note that John De Lancie from Star Trek played a doctor), and the rest on the ambulance. I remember the discussion of navigating San Francisco streets, which are narrow and hilly. I would think a medium duty truck size ambulance body (International or Freightliner) today would have a hard time, but a Ford E450 Type III would probably be OK.The Seattle movie was good too, although I felt OLD at the King Dome rescue - since the King Dome was imploded sometime in the 1990's. This was also before Starbucks and Microsoft took off in Seattle too - 500,000 population in 1978. I was also glad to see that Harborview was mentioned , since Seattle got the Medic One program up and running in 1969. During that episode, I appreciated the discussion on the "tiered system", when Rocky and Swede explained to Johnny and Roy the difference between the Aid Units (BLS) and the Medic Units (ALS). Rocky and Swede served on a Medic Unit, and this discussion was probably intended to explain the "tiered system" to the audience, since different cities do different things. My current city runs fire department ALS ambulances (paramedic engine companies are around too - most cities in the past 20 years have implemented them), and the paramedic program didn't start here until circa 1974. Several cities (like Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, and Boston) currently run third service EMS transport, much like San Francisco did until 1997.The Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS) has a DVD titled The History of Modern EMS: Making a Difference 2.0 that can be found for purchase. The impact of the Emergency! TV series is mentioned in here.

My daughters 12 th birthday

Oh for heavens sake I'm in HEAVEN!!! I haven't given Johnny Gage a thought in 40 years and my sister got me these for my Birthday. It's like a fabulous walk down memory lane!!

Love this dvd

completes set

I love the series being rerun on TV so I thought it would be fun to get the movies. Well, I wish I had saved my money. I wanted to see my favourite fellas, Gage and DeSoto, in action. Instead they are mostly side characters in other stories and other cities.The first movie, "Steel Inferno", is not too bad. It has a really exciting rescue scene. "Charter #220" has a few good moments and "Deadly Passage" is a yawn fest."Greatest Rescues" is the guys recalling old rescue scenes but nothing new. The "Nice Girl" and "Convention" episodes were BORING.It seems that they sure had lots of time to waste when they made movies in the 70's because there are long stretches of watching emergency vehicles drive along streets. Also the music is just weird! I turned the sound off sometimes just to avoid listening to it.Don't buy this DVD! Find another way to watch "Steel Inferno" and forget the rest.

For any Emergency fan who has the the complete season, you will definitely want to purchase this DVD. No, Captain Stanley and the team are not in these episodes, however, Johnny and Roy are in the episodes throughout. I think the director wanted viewers to see how emergency personnel work together in many situations. My sons and I have watched almost every single episode of this tv series and we also enjoyed the final rescues. This was and still is the best television show ever. If you are an Emergency fan, you will want to purchase this one but make sure you purchase the other seasons first!