Emergency! Stars Reunite to Profile Medics’ Plight

Randy Mantooth and Kevin Tighe played the roles of John Gage and Roy DeSoto in the iconic 1970s television program Emergency! when the paramedic profession was just emerging.

Decades later the job has grown to encompass a global pandemic, the potential of bodily harm, and emotional impacts of post-traumatic stress. Those are among several driving factors leading to Mantooth and Tighe coproducing a new documentary, Into the Unknown: The Paramedics’ Journey.

“We want to make the industry proud and tell their story in a real and honest way,” says Mantooth, whose life was saved many years ago by two unknown paramedics. “We also want to bring awareness to the public of what paramedics face today and how that could one day impact them when they call 9-1-1. Hopefully our glimpse into this world will inspire the next generation to be a part of this industry.”

The documentary will peel back the layers of paramedics’ lives, allowing the audience to experience what they face daily and how they take those experiences home with them.

Its tagline: You can’t unsee what you have seen.

“First responders’ memories can be both good and bad,” says Mantooth. “Experience is gained from almost every call, but when faced with extreme situations, those visions can haunt even those who are adept at compartmentalizing their emotions.

“We want to show the challenges paramedics face and also their resiliency to get up every day and be there for people on their worst day.” 

Authenticity Feeds Success

Emergency! aired from 1972 to 1979. Tighe says he believes the show’s longevity was due to the documentary style with which it portrayed both paramedics and the larger EMS system.

“Hardly a week goes by when someone doesn’t come up to us and say, ‘I love that show. Because of you, I became a paramedic, joined the fire department, and am working for EMS,” Tighe notes. “A lot of those first responders respond to the show. The reruns continue to attract new generations of viewers.” 

“The authenticity of the show leaped out and still holds to this day,” adds Mantooth, who says he still gets mail from fans for whom the program resonates.

Working on Emergency! for seven years helped Mantooth and Tighe understand the emerging profession.

“When I was told I was going to play Johnny Gage, I didn’t know what a paramedic was,” says Mantooth. 

Working with set advisors from the industry was awe-inspiring, he notes.

“I was so impressed by the humanity I was surrounded by,” Mantooth says. “It wasn’t until the show was over that it began to dawn on me that it really changed an industry.”

Emergency! not only attracted millions of viewers but is credited with helping launch the modern U.S. EMS system, inspiring cities to develop their own paramedic programs and thousands to become EMS practitioners.

“You’re either born to be a paramedic, or you’re not,” says Mantooth. “You have to have the three qualities every paramedic has: courage, compassion, and caring.”

After the show ended, Mantooth toured the U.S., meeting with firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, and ER doctors and nurses. He noted vast differences among the systems, from fire-based systems to mostly volunteer operations where municipalities lacked sufficient tax bases to pay for paramedics.

Mantooth also noted many people didn’t know the difference between EMTs and paramedics. 

“I said to myself, ‘The rest of this country has to know how this works,’ because we are approaching a breaking point with our system,’” he adds. “If we don’t pay attention to it, we could lose it. 

“This has placed immense stress on the paramedics in the field—the pandemic, the increase in assaults on first responders, and mental health issues—leading to some possible storylines/topics in the film.”

Humanity Reflects Humanity

The documentary will address mental health and the impact of workplace stress on individuals and throughout the workforce. The impact of a paramedic’s job on his or her family life will be examined.

“We also want to look at positive outcomes that keep current medics motivated and working, also leading to pathways to those looking to join the profession,” says Mantooth.

“Part of the documentary talks about the partnership, love, camaraderie, and humor that exists,” Tighe adds. “The humanity of the program reflects the humanity of the country. That’s what we hope to show and share.”

Tighe points out numerous events underscoring the documentary’s importance in this time, including the 9/11 anniversary, school shootings, the Florida condo collapse, and California wildfires, not to mention COVID.

“First responders are trying to quell the turmoil, to treat the people who are afflicted all over our country. They are a necessary part of who we are as a country. They need to be supported and recognized,” he says. “That’s what the documentary is about.” 

“It’s more important now than ever because I’m watching the fractures in the system and all these wonderful leaders in this industry run in and caulk the cracks, trying to keep it all together,” Mantooth adds. “The public doesn’t realize this is a vital part of our healthcare system today.

“When you think about healthcare, you think about doctors and insurance and other factors, but it all starts in the field. Not everybody can make it to the hospital. Our healthcare system starts with the paramedic program.”

The film focuses specifically on paramedics as part of the overall EMS industry because of their specialized training. 

“We could have done a documentary about dispatchers, nurses, and doctors, but that’s not what we represented,” says Mantooth. “We became the icons of a particular segment of EMS—it made more sense that we would represent paramedics.” 

FirstNet, Built with AT&T, is the project’s principal sponsor. 

“AT&T FirstNet provides the communication network for many first responders,” says Mantooth. “We are so fortunate to have their support for us to bring our vision to screen.” 

Additional sponsors include Masimo and ZOLL Medical Corp. EMS World is a media partner.

“We want to honor the industry by bringing to screen a film that is authentic and genuinely reflects what these men and women face daily,” says Mantooth. “We also want to appeal to the broader audience to not only educate them on what it means and takes to be a paramedic but to begin to understand that this system everyone has come to rely on is overstressed and fragile.”

In addition to Mantooth and Tighe, Baxter Larmon, PhD, a nationally recognized EMS educator/researcher and professor of emergency medicine at UCLA, serves on the executive committee for Into the Unknown. 

Additional executive team members include Assistant Fire Chief (retired) Steve Martin, who served more than 36 years in the fire service, including 30 years with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and Tonya Mantooth,  a 10-time regional Emmy award-winning producer. 

The documentary has an 18-member advisory board representing emergency medical services, public safety, academia, healthcare, and law, as well as the endorsement of 19 influential industry associations representing two million members.

“They’re a part of our audience too,” notes Tighe. “They assure us making a quality documentary that reflects on their professionalism.” 

Into the Unknown is currently in preproduction. To learn more go to intotheunknowndoc.com.  

Carol Brzozowski is a freelance journalist and former daily newspaper reporter in South Florida. Her work has been published in more than 200 media outlets.