For fans of the hit drama 9-1-1, what makes the show special isn’t always the emergencies. In fact, the character development and found family dynamic are what make this show stand out amongst the rest.
That’s not to say fans don’t love the emergencies from time to time. In fact, some emergencies have stuck with us over the years.
Whether it’s due to the sheer scale of things or the emotional impact of them. No one from the 118 has walked away unscathed by the work they do every single day.
After some deliberation and input from fans, we’ve narrowed down the 15 Most Memorable Emergencies on 9-1-1. Here they are, in no particular order.
1. Tsunami (Season 3 Episodes 1-3)
You ask any fan of 9-1-1 the first thing that pops into their mind when they think of the show, and chances are they’ll respond with “the tsunami.” In fact, over the years, this disaster has made it onto lists talking about the best emergencies as well as the best season premieres.
It is probably one of the biggest undertakings the show has done to date. Starting at the tail end of 9-1-1 Season 3 Episode 1, “Kid’s Today,” this emergency event showed some of the team members searching for survivors while unaware that Buck and Christopher have been caught in the middle of it.
Honestly, the intensity of 9-1-1 Season 3 Episode 2, “Sink or Swim,” feels like we are watching a disaster movie, not a run-of-the-mill TV drama. The relief felt when both Buck and Christopher are located and reunited with their loved ones during 9-1-1 Season 3 Episode 3, “The Searchers,” makes this emergency one to watch again and again.
2. Plane Landing (Season 8 Episode 3)
At this point in the plot, eight seasons in, fans are firmly aware that no one tells Athena Grant what she can and can’t do. In fact, her confidence and cool-under-pressure attitude are what make her a fan favorite.
Therefore, when she is tasked with not only navigating a failing plane but safely landing it as well during 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 3, “Final Approach,” we sit back and just watch a master at work. This woman proves, once again, that she has the awareness needed to learn quickly and create solutions on her feet.
It doesn’t hurt that this time around that she has the steady support and assistance of her husband, Captain Bobby Nash, on the ground. Together, they manage to land the plane on a stretch of the freeway, with Buck directing traffic to avoid any further devastation.
As the plane lands, we all give a collective release of the breath we’d been holding the whole time.
3. Firetruck Explosion (Season 2 Episode 18)
Sometimes, the emergencies on this show have long-lasting effects on the members of the 118. Whether it’s an emotional impact (like Hen killing that girl, Eddie losing Shannon, etc.) or a physical one, these emergencies are definitely ones the first responder involved will never forget.
Such is the case for Buck when the serial bomber case they’ve been assisting the police with takes a drastic turn. On 9-1-1 Season 2 Episode 18, “This Life We Choose,” the young firefighter gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time when the bomber sets its sights on targeting the team’s firetruck.
As the bomb goes off, the firetruck gets knocked onto its side, with Buck’s foot and ankle caught underneath. The team rushes to attempt at lifting the truck, but it isn’t until the whole community converges and lifts together that he’s able to be freed.
This emergency ends up dictating most of what Buck does or isn’t able to do throughout Season 3.
4. Earthquake (Season 2 Episodes 1-3)
Another one of the most memorable three-part premiere events came during Season 2. Much like with the tsunami, the earthquake doesn’t start until the tail end of the first episode but continues on in earnest for the next two.
This is the first major emergency we see Eddie Diaz in action, and the start of the dynamic duo he and Buck create. The two are tasked with climbing up the semi-collapsed hotel to a few guests who are stuck in a room near the top.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team is searching the rubble below to find as many of the missing individuals as possible. Hen gets trapped trying to save a man, which allows her to locate a missing little girl.
5. Eddie Trapped in a Well (Season 3 Episode 15)
Something that 9-1-1 has become known for is its flashback episodes that center on one specific character. These episodes are fondly called the “Begins” episodes because they most often detail how each firefighter got their start in the profession, not to mention the title usually has the character’s name and begins in it.
One of the most intense of these episodes has to be, hands down, Eddie Diaz’s during 9-1-1 Season 3 Episode 15, “Eddie Begins.” What makes this one stand out is the beautiful way in which the writers integrate the present-day emergency with the flashbacks to Eddie’s start.
On this particular episode, Eddie is attempting to rescue a child from a well when it starts to rain. He gets trapped underground with the little boy. He starts to remember moments from his past that shaped him into who he is today.
For fans of Buck and Eddie’s dynamic, this episode is also iconic for how Buck goes out of his way to dig Eddie out when a machine rescue is considered too unsafe.
6. Cruise Ship Disaster (Season 7 Episodes 1-3)
ANGELA BASSETT, PETER KRAUSE
In case you haven’t noticed by now, the multi-episode season premieres are the most remembered emergencies throughout the fandom. If the tsunami was the loftiest undertaking for the show, then the Season 7 cruise ship disaster comes in a close second.
While this emergency initially only involves Athena and Bobby, by the end of 9-1-1 Season 7 Episode 3, “Capsized,” the whole team plus Tommy Kinard are involved. In fact, the team comes in just when things look extremely bleak for everyone’s favorite couple.
What makes this emergency so great is that it’s not your run-of-the-mill emergency. Athena and Bobby have to use their ability to think on their toes when faced with limited resources and no clear exit strategy.
In fact, 9-1-1 Season 7 Episode 2, “Rock the Boat,” shows just how quickly these two put aside their marital struggles to become a united front whose only purpose is to save as many people as possible.
7. Plane Crash in Water (Season 1 Episode 4)
One of the first major emergencies to hit the airwaves for this show came during 9-1-1 Season 1 Episode 4, “Worst Day Ever.” This emergency involved another plane, but this time, it crashed into the water, requiring a calculated fire team rescue.
At this point in the plot, we are all still very new to any of the characters that would soon capture our hearts, but this emergency changes all that. First and foremost, we see just how much strain being the commander during such a heartbreaking emergency can be.
The memorability of this emergency lies a little less in the emergency itself and more in its effect on the team. Hen and Bobby seem to struggle the most with the catastrophic scene they are handling, while Buck appears more carefree.
In the aftermath, we see the three come together to help Bobby recover from his fall off the wagon and become a tighter unit overall because of what they accomplished together.
8. Case of Mistaken Identity (Season 5 Episode 4)
No one ever wants to be part of a situation where their loved one is injured so severely that they are misidentified. However, on 9-1-1 Season 5 Episode 4, “Home and Away,” that is exactly what happens to two families of best friend teen girls.
Both girls are blond and of similar build, and both are members of the cheer team. Therefore, when a car comes barreling through a homecoming parade and both girls are affected, their injuries are so intense that the first responders misidentify them.
It’s all so much more heartbreaking when the family of the girl who dies start to grieve her death only to find out their real daughter was still alive. And the opposite goes for the other family, making everything about this emergency something that scars viewers forever.
The pure grief and devastation that is not only felt by the families affected but the 118 as well is one that we won’t soon forget.
9. Fire at 9-1-1 Dispatch Center (Season 5 Episode 16)
Another big emergency from Season 5 involves a fire at the 9-1-1 dispatch center. This one hits especially close to home because it involves May Grant, Eddie Diaz, and other dispatch members we’ve come to know and love.
Seeing Bobby try to keep a level head when his daughter is caught in the middle of an emergency is a master class in acting from Peter Krause. The nuances of his leadership style come through alongside his obvious unease and fears.
On top of that, the team is worried about one of their own who recently switched from active firefighter duty to the call center to keep himself safe for his son’s sake. Eddie keeps his head on straight during the whole emergency, pulling from his previous medic training where he had to save lives while under fire.
At the end of the day, everyone is safe, but that doesn’t mean 9-1-1 Season 5 Episode 16, “May Day,” isn’t a major nail biter.
10. Freeway Collapse (Season 6 Episode 18)
Every once in a while 9-1-1 goes out of its way to keep viewers unsure whether a particular character is going to live or die. Sometimes, the emotional payoff isn’t there, but in the case of 9-1-1 Season 6 Episode 18, “Pay It Forward,” it’s an hour of not knowing if Bobby is going to make it out alive.
Not only that, but Buck is the one left unaffected by the collapse and must, therefore, use his own skills and determination to save the rest of his team.
He knows that Eddie, Chimney, and Hen are all safe, albeit in need of an extra helping hand. But no one knows where Bobby is and whether or not he survived.
While the emergency has the most unrealistic outcomes, looking at Bobby being crushed but having no crush injuries, it still points to the element of the show we love the most: found family. When the chips are down, the most underrated member of the team pulls through and shows he has grown into a mighty fine team player and firefighter to boot.
11. Sniper Situation (Season 4 Episode 14)
For fans of the characters Buck and Eddie there are two very memorable emergencies that center on just the two of them. The first comes during 9-1-1 Season 4 Episode 14, “Survivors,” the other is the next entry on this list so we will talk about it later.
Technically, the event actually happens at the very end of the previous episode, but “Survivors” rehashes the start of the event and its subsequent reaction. Buck and Eddie are standing next to the ambulance and fire trucks at an emergency call when suddenly Eddie’s face contorts into a look of shock, and Buck is sprayed with a ton of blood.
It is soon realized that Eddie has been shot by a sniper looking to target first responders. In the next agonizingly slow seconds, Eddie falls to the ground; Buck pulls his body toward him under the protection of the firetruck and then lifts him up into the cab of said firetruck.
During the drive to the hospital, Buck begs Eddie to stay with him, and Eddie comes around enough to ask if Buck is hurt. In the end, Eddie is fine, but the whole event traumatizes Buck to the point that he has to lean on Christopher to make him feel better.
12. Lightning Strike (Season 6 Episodes 10 and 11)
There isn’t much in the way of memorable emergencies during Season 6, but 9-1-1 Season 6 Episode 10, “In a Flash,” and 9-1-1 Season 6 Episode 11, “In Another Life,” will stick with us forever. This emergency is another one in which Buck finds himself directly in harm’s way.
He’s up on the ladder during a rainstorm when lightning comes down and strikes him in the chest. He falls off the ladder and is seen dangling from his safety cable as Eddie, who was also hit by the lightning from the ground, attempts to scramble up the ladder and pull Buck to safety.
It’s one of those emergencies that happens during one episode, and the aftermath of it continues into the next. We see just how central Buck is to the 118 when his life hangs in the balance. No one is sure he will survive.
We get to see Dream Buck work through some of his insecurities about his role in his family while fighting to make it back to the land of the living. Meanwhile, the whole team rotates in and out of his room with varying degrees of physical heartbreak and anguish.
13. The Landslide (Season 4 Episode 2)
Sometimes, the most devastating and memorable emergencies come out of natural disasters. Such is the case with the landslide during 9-1-1 Season 4 Episode 2, “Alone Together.”What’s unique about this particular season of 9-1-1 is that it was the first filmed in the post-COVID lockdown world. This real-life pandemic had long-reaching effects on how certain storylines throughout the season played out.
None more so than the woman refusing to leave her home during the landslide so Athena vows to stay with her. At first, the 118 is going from emergency to emergency trying to save people from all the water and mud that comes as a result of the dam breaking.
Pretty quickly though, Bobby finds out his wife is trapped, and he urges his team to use their resources to save her. It’s one of those moments that showed us Bobby might be Athena’s husband, but he still knows how to keep focused when the job demands it.
14. Maddie’s Kidnapping (Season 2 Episode 13)
So far, on this list, we’ve discussed emergencies that have affected each member of the 118 plus Athena, but we haven’t touched on one that directly involves Maddie. Fans can remember that during Season 2, Maddie moved to LA and quickly became a fan favorite for her familial connection to Buck alone.
However, by 9-1-1 Season 2 Episode 13, “Fight or Flight,” we are all begging the team to find the beloved older sister. Maddie is, of course, being held captive by her abusive ex-husband (played by Jennifer Love Hewitt’s real-life husband) in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees and isolation.
Luckily, Maddie is a fighter, and this is one of those emergencies where she uses her problem-solving skills to fight her way out of his captivity. She manages to fight him off for good by shooting him. At that point, Buck and Athena locate her, and she collapses in Buck’s arms.
This moment proves that sometimes emergencies aren’t the typical situations where someone calls 9-1-1 and the 118 is dispatched. Sometimes, the best emergencies are the ones with highly personal stakes.
15. Multiple Births at a Yoga Studio (Season 1 Episode 7)
Of all the emergencies on this list, 9-1-1 Season 1 Episode 7, “Full Moon (Creepy AF),” is the least dramatic or high-stakes. In fact, this particular emergency is on this list because of its comedic nature.
We see Buck in his Season 1 iteration, impulsive and inexperienced, faced with a situation where it’s just him and Bobby with at least four women about to give birth. In a montage of hilarious birth moments, Bobby and Buck manage to deliver all the babies safely despite the younger one being completely out of his depth.
It isn’t the first time Buck has handled a baby on the job; he saved a baby in a pipe during the series premiere, but it is his first time showing his boss and pseudo-father that he can be calm, cool, and collected under intense pressure—even if that pressure is simply finding a way to help multiple laboring women at the same time.
This emergency makes us laugh every time we watch it.
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What emergencies do you remember the most? Let us know in the comments below!
