Seeing a dire need in the community for on-the spot medical assistance, LA County Firefighters Roy DeSoto and John Roderick "Johnny" Gage attempt to convince their staunchest opponent, Rampart General Hospital's Chief of Emergency Services, Dr. Kelly Brackett, to support paramedic legislation that means getting help to where it is needed most. Dr. Joe Early, an old friend of Dr. Brackett's, also lends his support to Johnny's & Roy's effort. Prior to running two separate calls with Johnny and Roy, their mentor, Rampart General Hospital's Chief Nurse of the Emergency Room, Dixie McCall, is injured and knocked unconscious.

John plots his revenge after being the repeated target of practical jokes. Dixie is worried about a student nurse, whose performances are affected by Dr. Brackett's personality. A man breaks his back falling off a tower. A woman fakes an illness. Early's stethoscope becomes lodged in his ear. A man brought into the hospital from a movie set is the first indication of an outbreak of botulism, where Dr. Brackett suspects this. Roy and John rescue a boy trapped in a collapsed building.