About this season
Rescue 911 is an informational reality-based television series that premiered on April 18, 1989 and ended on August 27, 1996. The series was hosted by William Shatner and featured reenactments of emergency situations that often involved calls to 911. Though never intended as a teaching tool, various viewers used the knowledge they obtained watching the show. Two specials, titled "100 Lives Saved" and "200 Lives Saved," were dedicated to viewers who had written to CBS with their stories on how the knowledge they obtained watching the show allowed them to save the life of someone else. At least 350 lives have been saved as a result of what viewers learned from watching it. The show's popularity coincided with the widespread adoption of the 911 emergency system, replacing standalone police and fire numbers that would vary from municipality to municipality. The number is now universally understood in the United States and Canada to be the number dialed for emergency assistance nationwide.
Episodes (28)
1. 100 Lives Saved
Aired 15 September 1992 • 60 min
Teen pinned under truck (October 17, 1991. Stillwater, Oklahoma); Rescue 911 episode causes to family to realize there is a gas leak in their house (December 19, 1989. St. Louis, Missouri); Siblings aid their choking great-grandmother (March 10, 1992. Salcedo, Missouri); Teenager accidentally shoots himself (September 24, 1991. Fairfax, South Carolina); Boy calls 911 when his father falls down the stairs (April 20, 1990. Indianapolis, Indiana) This episode also includes letters from viewers who were able to save lives or prevent accidents using what they had learned from watching Rescue 911. These included a woman who found a faulty wire in her child's bedroom after seeing a episode of Rescue 911 dealing with fire safety; A woman who performed CPR on her husband when he had a heart attack in a swimming pool; A father who did rescue breathing on his daughter after she drowned; A boy who called 911 when his mother was attacked by hornets; And a man who delivered his wife's baby and knew
2. Episode 402
Aired 22 September 1992 • 60 min
3. Episode 403
Aired 29 September 1992 • 60 min
4. Episode 406
Aired 27 October 1992 • 60 min
5. Episode 407
Aired 10 November 1992 • 60 min
Skiers caught in avalanche (February 19, 1990. East Layton, Utah); Car thief shoots Idaho trooper (June 15, 1991. Southern Idaho); A boy injured in a bike accident and shooting victim are treated at a Los Angeles children's hospital
6. Episode 408 (Women Heroes Edition)
Aired 17 November 1992 • 60 min
Woman hides from burglar under a blanket (March 18, 1992. Salt Lake City, Utah); Girl's night gown catches fire (December 1991. Hemet, California); Paramedics respond to a car accident involving a drunk driver (Las Vegas, Nevada); Man accidentally cuts wrist with power saw (September 10, 1991. Rancho Cordova, California); Girl performs CPR on her drowned brother (July 16, 1991. Westerville, Ohio)
7. Episode 405H
Aired 24 November 1992 • 60 min
8. Episode 327
Aired 25 November 1992 • 60 min
Russian immigrant falls from cliff (April 7, 1991. Sutton, Massachusetts); M-80 firecracker explodes in boy's hand (October 30, 1991. Fresno, California); Three-year-old girl carried away on runaway dog sled (December 24, 1991. North Pole, Alaska); Shooting victim is taken to Jackson Memorial Medical Center (December 5, 1991. Miami, Florida)
9. Episode 409
Aired 8 December 1992 • 60 min
Ultralight crashes into cliff above lake (August 17, 1991. Las Vegas, Nevada); Toddler bitten by rattlesnake (March 8, 1992. Pinellas Park, Florida); Teen collapses after inhaling scotch-guard and butane (February 8, 1990. Kaysville, Utah); Dalmatian falls into drain pipe (February 3, 1991. Rosemead, California)
10. Episode 411
Aired 15 December 1992 • 60 min
Girl swept away in mountain creek (June 11, 1991. Golden, Colorado); Bus loses breaks on hill (August 15, 1990. Montana); Family of ten poisoned by carbon monoxide (November 7, 1991. Roseville, Minnesota); Paramedic in Santa suit delivers baby (December 24, 1991. Winston Salem, North Carolina)
11. Episode 404H
Aired 22 December 1992 • 60 min
12. Episode 412
Aired 5 January 1993 • 60 min
New Years Eve documentary follows police as they track an armed robber to a residential home (December 31, 1991. New Orleans, Louisiana); Girl on snow tube hits tree (February 13, 1988. Laramie, Wyoming); Pregnant woman hemorrhages (May 9, 1992. Fontana, California); Man pinned under car (July 15, 1990. Guthrie, Kentucky)
13. Episode 410
Aired 12 January 1993 • 60 min
Horse falls into canyon (May 17, 1992. California Sierras); Man shoots wife (May 28, 1991. Ontario, Canada); Teenager falls from tree (Thanksgiving 1988. Salmon, Idaho)
14. Episode 413
Aired 19 January 1993 • 60 min
Skier hits tree (March 4, 1989. Great Barrington, Massachusetts); Police respond to a drive-by shooting (August 4, 1991. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma); Boy chokes on game piece (April 12, 1992. Honeoye Falls, New York); Fire chief saves dog trapped in house fire (July 6, 1992. St. Augustine, Florida)
15. Episode 414
Aired 26 January 1993 • 60 min
A man hits his head while sliding down a rock, leaving him unconscious in a mountain pool (August 26, 1991. Angel Falls in California); Masked gunmen rob supermarket (April 18, 1992. Roseville, California); Airline passenger chokes on meat (May 28, 1990); Two-year-old drowns in pool (June 30, 1992. Englewood, Colorado)
16. Episode 416
Aired 2 February 1993 • 60 min
17. Episode 415
Aired 9 February 1993 • 60 min
Hang glider crashes into forest (July 30, 1989. Sauratown Mountain near Winston Salem, North Carolina); Woman shot by neighbor (August 19, 1991. Indianapolis, Indiana); Dog bitten by rattlesnakes (September 7, 1992. Loveland, Colorado); Girl falls from hotel balcony (April 10, 1992. Gulf Shores, Alabama)
18. Episode 417
Aired 16 February 1993 • 60 min
19. Episode 418
Aired 23 February 1993 • 60 min
20. Episode 419H
Aired 2 March 1993 • 60 min
Man electrocuted by hedge-trimmers (August 10, 1991. Cincinnati, Ohio); Teen hit in head by stray softball (May 8, 1992. Hickory, Pennsylvania)
21. Episode 420
Aired 9 March 1993 • 60 min
22. Episode 421
Aired 23 March 1993 • 60 min
Horse trapped in overturned trailer (January 27, 1992. Independence, Ohio); Man stabs girlfriend on neighbor's porch (July 3, 1992. Wolcott, Connecticut); Boy trapped in trunk (August 31, 1992. Brookfield, Connecticut); Man accidentally shot in heart by nail gun (February 22, 1992. El Cajon, California)
23. Episode 422
Aired 30 March 1993 • 60 min
24. Episode 423
Aired 13 April 1993 • 60 min
Man trapped in wrecked car under downed power lines (April 14, 1992. Murray, Kentucky); Witness pursues bank robber (March 11, 1992. Ottawa, Ontario); Sixth grade teacher collapses and student performs CPR (September 14, 1992. Bremerton, Washington); Patients receive organ transplants at Presbyterian University Hospital (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
25. Episode 424
Aired 4 May 1993 • 60 min
Diver inhales water 60 feet underwater (October 11, 1992. Florida Keys); Officer wounded in shootout (July 6, 1991. Provo, Utah); Boy's clothes catch in moving escalator (January 20, 1993. Calgary, Alberta); Woman goes into labor at home (April 25, 1992. Lawrenceville, Georgia)
26. Episode 425
Aired 11 May 1993 • 60 min
Man falls 60 feet while ice-climbing (February 5, 1992. Ouray, Colorado); Mother and children trapped in burning apartment (September 17, 1991. Lago Vista, Texas); Boy cuts arms on broken window (March 13, 1992. Grants Pass, Oregon); Woman has heart attack in movie theater (November 1, 1992. Austin, Texas)
27. Episode 426
Aired 18 May 1993 • 60 min
Man bitten by poisonous snake (August 31, 1991. Mareeba, Queensland, Australia); Boy injured by lawnmower (June 7, 1991. Mountain Grove, Missouri); 12-year-old boy needs heart transplant (Alpine, Texas); Woman goes into labor during blizzard (December 12, 1992. East Hartford, Connecticut)
28. Episode 427 (Child Safety Edition)
Aired 25 May 1993 • 60 min
Girl run over by school bus (November 4, 1991. Blountville, Tennessee); Baby drowns in bleach bucket (November 21, 1990. Lebanon, Oregon); Girl on bicycle hit by car (October 9, 1989. Cheltenham, Pennsylvania); A boy scalded by hot grease and girl who ingested lamp oil are treated at Children's National Medical Center (Washington, D.C.)