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» » Emergency! The Most Deadly Passage (1972–1979)

Short summary

Roy and Johnny are sent to Seattle to study the techniques used there. A skydiver jumps off the Space Needle, a worker is trapped at the top of the Kingdome, and a fuel pumper loads a ferry with gasoline instead of diesel fuel, which sets the ferry on fire in the middle of the Elliot Bay.

Originally a two-hour Emergency! TV movie, it was split into a two-parter for syndication.

Unlike the fictional Mayfair Ambulance service used in Los Angeles to transport patients to the hospital after being seen by the Squad 51 paramedics, the Shepard Ambulance company was real, and was used under contract by the City of Seattle to transport patients when the four Medic One rigs in Seattle were too busy on calls to be able to transport every patient. The Shepard ambulance shown on the Ferry Klickitat during the explosion was a real ambulance, and visually was better-equipped than the Medic One unit shown in the movie. Shepard was bought by a national ambulance company, AMR, in 1995, but classic Shepard ambulances are still kept in storage at AMR's headquarters and used in parades and for special events. Former Shepard ambulance workers who still work for AMR call themselves the Blue Dogs.

Squad 51 had several boxes in the utility cabinet on the back of their truck: a small black "Old Pal" fishing tackle box containing their medications, and a larger, heavier wood-panel box labeled "IV" containing their IV bags and equipment. But on Seattle Medic One rigs in 1978, they used a large Plano medical-specific tackle box that you see throughout "The Most Deadly Passage" movie, notably in the Kingdome scene, and the M/V Klickitat scene. Seattle's version contains most of the needed drugs in the trays (except for narcotics, which are kept under lock and key in a different box) and all of the IV equipment stored in the bottom, all contained within a single box, which is much more efficient and one less box to carry when reaching patients. Many ALS (paramedic-staffed) public and private ambulances in Washington State still use this same Plano box model to this day, which is still considered efficient. In contrast, L. A.'s version, the "Old Pal" tackle box, is now considered a collector's item and can be worth around $100 on Internet auctions.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Prinna
    The initial pilot of "Emergency!" was full of the politics of creating the position of "paramedic." But in that case, it was essential to the plot.

    In this made-for-TV movie, we get more of the same, but in this case it IS the plot. Over and over we see and hear "we don't do it that way in L.A." to which they get the response from the Seattle crew, "Then you need to change your laws." And after hearing how Seattle paramedics can do things in the field John and Roy can't do back home, we then see rescues that conveniently use those forbidden skills. It goes so far as to show the Seattle paramedics using a special medical tool the primary trauma doctor rigged together for them just that morning. "It worked in Vietnam," he says of the design. We even get to sit in on a meeting where we hear that congress has failed to pass national legislation on the paramedic program at which point Roy quips, "The cost of one ship out in that channel going up in flames would pay for the program for 10 years!" Yes, you guessed it--shortly a ship DOES go up in flames!

    That ship fire is, in fact, the key point of the entire movie. But it takes forever to get to that point. The movie clocks in at roughly 90 minutes, and the fire doesn't even happen for the first hour of that time. Between the aforementioned "political" rescues, the rest of the first hour is taken up setting up several different story lines that culminate in everyone from each story line being on the same ship at the same time.

    I truly like Emergency!, so much so that I bought the DVDs of this final set of TV movies so that I could say I have watched every episode. However, this one is not one of the better episodes.
  • comment
    • Author: kewdiepie
    Two Hour Movie to the Action-Drama Series EMERGENCY! ( 1972-77 ). The L.A. County Paramedics John Gage und Roy DeSoto are sent to Seattle to study the Techniques used there. Rescues Include: A Man trapped on the Top of the King Dome.A Skydiver jump of a Tower and broke his Leg and a Ferry Boat are burning. Great Special to the EMERGENCY! Series.
  • Episode credited cast:
    Jesse Vint Jesse Vint - Paramedic Nick Halverson
    Anthony Herrera Anthony Herrera - Paramedic Rocky Morrow
    George Wyner George Wyner - Doctor
    Larry Manetti Larry Manetti - Brian
    Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
    Frank Abe Frank Abe - Fire Fighter Jones
    Terry Burke Terry Burke - David Larson (as Terence Burk)
    David Colacci David Colacci - Joe
    Michael Feffer Michael Feffer - Peggy Larson
    Ted Gehring Ted Gehring - Barney McMillan
    Joseph Grant Joseph Grant - Space Needle Parachutist
    Cecilia Hart Cecilia Hart - Nancy Halverson
    Anthony Herrara Anthony Herrara
    John Kauffman John Kauffman - Frankie
    Sam Lanier Sam Lanier - Radio Dispatcher (voice)
    Randolph Mantooth Randolph Mantooth - Paramedic John Gage
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