One thing I remember strongly about “Rescue 911”, which we watched when I was growing up, was that it very openly had a purpose. It was made to serve a need that existed in the United States in the late 1980s.
When the show started, 911 wasn't available everywhere. Wikipedia says:
Regarding national U.S. coverage, by 1979, 26% of the U.S. population could dial the number. This increased to 50% by 1987 and 93% by 2000.[9] As of March 2022, 98.9% of the U.S. population has access.
Wikipedia also says that “Rescue 911” ran from 1989 to 1996.
I remember the show being very clear about several things:
- you may or may not have 911 in your jurisdiction;
- if you do have it, you should memorize the number and put up stickers on/near your telephone about it and use it in life-threatening emergencies (like the ones the show dramatized);
- if you don't have it, you should write to your telephone company (I think, or whoever was in charge of this sort of thing) and tell them they should adopt 911.
I think the timeline (based on my two Wikipedia citations above) shows how well it succeeded:
- 1987: 50% 911 adoption.
- 1989: “Rescue 911” goes on the air.
- 1996: “Rescue 911” ends.
- 2000: 93% 911 adoption.
I'm pretty sure there were several efforts going on around that time to drive the rollout of 911 across the whole United States. “Rescue 911” was one of them.
