10 Most Intense Disaster Moments From 9-1-1

One of the best aspects of 9-1-1 is, without a doubt, its thrilling disasters and emergencies scattered throughout its seven (soon to be eight) seasons and 106 episodes, with some standing out amongst the rest. The procedural drama, created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear, premiered in January 2018 on Fox, its home for six seasons before 9-1-1 moved to ABC for season 7 (and season 8 in late 2024). 9-1-1 follows a group of emergency first responders, including police officers, paramedics, firefighters, and dispatchers, in LA, meaning the series features the characters responding to various natural and man-made disasters.

Of course, 9-1-1 has had its fair share of over-the-top or bizarre emergencies that the firefighters and paramedics have to attend to. But some of the TV show’s best episodes revolve around significant and devastating situations, like a catastrophic wave crashing into the Santa Monica Pier or a capsized cruise ship. As 9-1-1 heads into its eighth season, the upcoming episodes will, hopefully, contain disasters that can compete with the daunting precedent set by previous emergencies in the procedural drama series.

Cruise Ship Disaster In “Abandon Ships,” “Rock The Boat,” & “Capsized”

9-1-1 Season 7, Episodes 1, 2, & 3

To kick off the show’s debut on ABC, Angela Bassett’s Athena and Peter Krause’s Bobby’s honeymoon on a cruise ship takes a turn for the worst when pirates hijack the vessel during the intense three-part 9-1-1 season 7 premiere. The pirates take everyone hostage as they search for a dongle that supposedly has a fortune in Bitcoin on it. By the second hour, the pirates retrieve the dongle and leave the ship, but not before setting off an explosion. To make matters worse, the cruise ship is headed straight towards a hurricane.

9Bridge Collapse In “Pay It Forward”

9-1-1 Season 6, Episode 18

Most of the ABC procedural drama’s best and most thought-out emergencies come during premieres or finales, including the 9-1-1 season 6 finale. Season 6’s last episode begins with a dispatch call about a bridge that collapsed while the firefighters and paramedics of Station 118 were on it, responding to multiple car accidents on the overpass. The episode then flashes back a few hours to explain the events leading up to the bridge collapse.

9-1-1‘s first responders tend to those hurt on the overpass during the season 6 finale. However, when a truck driver falls asleep at the wheel, the semi crashes into a pillar supporting the bridge, causing it to collapse. Hen is knocked unconscious in the ambulance’s driver’s seat, a pipe impales Chimney in the abdomen in the back of said ambulance, and Eddie is injured and stuck in a van directly underneath the ambulance. Plus, Bobby is MIA as he is buried underneath debris. Thankfully, everyone in the 118 survives, but many could have easily died throughout the heart-racing hour.

8Blackout In “Panic,” “Desperate Times,” & “Desperate Measures”

9-1-1 Season 5, Episodes 1, 2, & 3

Not every 9-1-1 emergency can be flashy, like season 3’s tsunami or season 7’s cruise ship disaster, but they can still be intense, like the citywide blackout during the three-part premiere of season 5. A hacker group breaks into LA’s technology, causing chaos everywhere (including Jeffery Hudson’s escape). By the end of “Panic,” the entire city undergoes a blackout, and the 9-1-1 characters use their expertise to help out at a hospital.

7Sniper Shooting In “Suspicion” & “Survivors”

9-1-1 Season 4, Episodes 13 & 14

9-1-1 season 4’s ending is another man-made emergency as a sniper is on the loose in LA, shooting at the first responders from afar. While the penultimate hour isn’t particularly overly thrilling at the start, Eddie getting shot in the shoulder right in front of Buck and the chaos that ensues increases the 9-1-1 episode’s intensity by tenfold. Episode 13 ends with Buck crouched down on the ground, hiding from the sniper, and looking straight at Eddie as he bleeds out. It’s one of the procedural drama’s most haunting scenes and one that viewers will remember for seasons to come.

At the beginning of the 9-1-1 season 4 finale, Buck drags Eddie to safety and rushes him to the hospital, where he spends the majority of the hour fighting for his life. Meanwhile, the others hunt down the scorned ex-firefighter behind the sniper attacks. Like most other episodes, the smart 9-1-1 characters make it out alive. But with scenes as memorable as the ones where Eddie is shot, Buck tells Christopher what happened to his dad, and Athena saves Bobby from the sniper, the 9-1-1 season 4 finale is among the show’s best.

6Dam Break & Landslide In “The New Abnormal” & “Alone Together”

9-1-1 Season 4, Episodes 1 & 2

9-1-1 season 4 is bookended by two intense emergencies as the season leads off with a dam break and subsequent landslide. At the beginning of episode 1, the Hollywood Reservoir Dam breaks due to seismic activity. Of course, the firefighters and paramedics of Station 118 respond to the disaster. The 9-1-1 character who is in the most danger during the hour is Athena. Angela Bassett’s character tries to persuade an agoraphobic woman to leave her Hollywood Hills house because of a possible landslide. However, the two get trapped when the house falls.

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Of course, Athena and the woman, Sylvia, make it out alive by the end of 9-1-1 season 4, episode 2. However, the scenes featuring Athena and Sylvia fighting for their lives and waiting for help leave viewers on the edge of their seats. Athena is important to 9-1-1, and her survival is integral to the procedural drama’s overarching story.

5Stuck In Sewage Pipe In “Eddie Begins”

9-1-1 Season 3, Episode 15

Even though only one 9-1-1 character’s life is in danger in season 3, episode 15, “Eddie Begins” is still one of the show’s most thrilling hours. The season 3 episode begins with Station 118 responding to an emergency where a child is stuck in a sewage pipe 50 feet underground. However, the situation worsens after Eddie saves the young boy. A lightning bolt causes an explosion, trapping Eddie underground in 9-1-1 when it was on Fox.

4Tsunami In “Kids Today,” “Sink Or Swim,” & “The Searchers”

9-1-1 Season 3, Episodes 1, 2, & 3

The tsunami that hits Los Angeles during the 9-1-1 season 3 premiere is perhaps the show’s best disaster as it is thrilling from beginning to end. “Kids Today” ends with a massive wave hurdling towards Santa Monica Pier, where Buck has taken Christopher while Eddie is at work. “Sink or Swim” begins with the tsunami hitting the pier, flooding the streets of Los Angeles. The tide carries Buck and Christopher away, and while they reunite, they get separated when Buck leaves the young boy on top of a firetruck while he tends to others who need help. When Buck returns, Christopher is nowhere to be seen.

3Bombing In “Careful What You Wish For” & “This Life We Choose”

9-1-1 Season 2, Episodes 17 & 18

2Earthquake In “Under Pressure,” “7.1,” & “Help Is Not Coming”

9-1-1 Season 2, Episodes 1, 2, & 3

9-1-1‘s three-part season 2 premiere is its first multi-episode disaster, and it set a daunting precedent for those that follow. A 7.1 magnitude earthquake ripples through Los Angeles, followed by various aftershocks. Station 118’s first responders (including Eddie, the crew’s new firefighter, and Maggie, Buck’s estranged sister and the new 911 dispatcher) tend to numerous emergencies throughout the city, including the collapse of a hotel and a collapsed overpass. The earthquake is one of 9-1-1‘s most memorable disasters, and the show has been trying to top it ever since (only succeeding with the tsunami).

1Plane Crash In “Worst Day Ever”

9-1-1 Season 1, Episode 4

One of 9-1-1‘s most thrilling emergency calls will always be the plane crash in season 1, episode 4. As many will recall, a plane catches on fire and crashes into the ocean during the hour. Consequently, most of the 9-1-1 characters respond to the incident, including Bobby, Hen, and Buck, as the aircraft slowly sinks into the water with people trapped inside.

9-1-1 season 1, episode 4 features many close calls as the first responders attempt to save as many people as they can before the plane fully sinks underwater. Bobby even gets into dire trouble at one point, but Buck is able to save him. Meanwhile, Athena is dealing with those panicked at the nearby airport, including an agitated passenger on a grounded plane. Ultimately, “Worst Day Ever” is aptly named as it features one of the most horrifying situations one can imagine. For that reason alone, season 1, episode 4 contains one of 9-1-1‘s most intense disasters.

One of the best aspects of 9-1-1 is, without a doubt, its thrilling disasters and emergencies scattered throughout its seven (soon to be eight) seasons and 106 episodes, with some standing out amongst the rest. The procedural drama, created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear, premiered in January 2018 on Fox, its home for six…