From A&E’s community message board for their new “reality” show “Panic 911“:
A&E’s new thriller series “Panic 9-1-1” takes 911 calls to a whole new level never seen or heard before on television. Unlike emergency shows of the past, viewers will live inside the calls and experience every harrowing and terrifying moment along with the caller. Every second is real.
One part thriller and one part true-crime show, “Panic 9-1-1” features the real, urgent, unrehearsed, 911 call audio in real-time between emergency dispatchers and frantic callers as life and death situations unfold around them. Each call is a race against time where the dispatcher is the caller’s only lifeline, gathering critical information from the caller to give to first responders. When literally every second counts, getting the right details is crucial. Who lives and who dies remains a mystery until the very end.
In the real world of 9-1-1 dispatching, the verdict is in: this show sucks.
From Twitter to the message boards, dispatchers are aghast at this program.
Whitneyj09:
Just when I thought that TV had reached a new low with shows like Honey Boo Boo and Jersey Shore, I saw a preview for this show, and I felt horrified. Exploiting the real pain and trauma of people begging for help as entertainment is just disgusting to me.
Keep in mind that I am not easily offended: I am a big fan of shows like Family Guy and South Park, even some “reality” TV shows- but there is one clear difference here- these shows AREN’T REAL!
I work every day with people who have suffered real traumatic events and who feel the effect of their emotional pain every single day they have the strength to get out of bed. SHAME on those who treat the same horror and pain of real people as ENTERTAINMENT. A new low, and I will not be watching A&E until it’s cancelled. I will be encouraging everyone I know to do the same. Unbelievable, A&E. Unbelievable.
On Twitter, @Caoimhe3706 says:
#panic911 is anti-911. In 11 years I’ve never told ANYONE to lay down their last line of defense until a cop was at the door. I’m Sickened.
I haven’t seen it yet, and between the advertising blurb by A & E and the comments from other dispatchers who have, I’m not sure this is something I want to watch.
Rescue 9-1-1, which ran from 1989 through 1996 with William Shatner as host, was a good show. I don’t think Panic 9-1-1 is going to last very long. At least I hope not.
JimmieJoe 
Dec 05, 2012 @ 09:43:29
Being a paramedic, this has got to be the most horrendous show I have ever heard of. I will not watch this show!! I will never support someone’s horrific experience! The creator or creator’s of this show are mentally disturbed! I hope that you are never in need of some sort of emergency help, as it is never something you want to have happen! However, if you do…..I hope it is played over every major network, and your traumatic experience is viewed as nothing but a TV series, and soon forgotten!
LikeLike
Jan 29, 2013 @ 20:57:57
I’m saddened to see the reactions of these so called professionals, this is a reality TV show where people tell their stories. I’d say it’s very educational and who knows… Maybe save someones life one day? I’ve watched each episode and see nothing bias what so ever. There are bad cops, paramedics, dispatchers, operators and there are great ones. It’s good to see the good with the bad. If you feel this is taking a tragedy and turning it into a corporate dog and pony show, then you must not watch cable news. As i typed, it’s sad to see this reaction from people of the field. I suppose most police officers wouldn’t want an unbiased show documenting them either.
I do hope you folks wrote in your opinions about the show “I survived” as well.
LikeLike
Oct 01, 2013 @ 13:16:05
Amen. I just started watching it, and I found it very informative and helpful. It made me think:”what if.” I do not watch it to see drama ufurl, again, it really helped me and my family open up dialog what we would do, and what we should do.
LikeLike
Aug 08, 2013 @ 19:25:29
I just watched a few episodes. It doesnt suck because it’s exploiting real life traumatic experiences. It SUCKS because the people that made this show OBVIOUSLY think the average viewer has ZERO attention span. It’s insulting. Every, and I mean literally every half a second the scene cuts to another scene. And all the little “effects” they use are just silly. It’s like Paranormal Witness meets I Survived. It’s AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL. For instance, and first of all, they turn what could be a five minute segment into a two commercial break, 15 minute segment. Then, at the very end, they FINALLY show us a picture of “the worst car wreck I’ve ever seen” and they show it behind some stupid haze effect and they show it for about a second and a half before flipping to another view of the wreck, also for about 1.4 seconds. This is almost unwatchable. It has so much potential. Too bad they think we’ll turn the channel if they don’t shake a shiny set of keys in our faces. AWFUL. AGAIN.
LikeLike
Aug 09, 2013 @ 09:57:54
I laughed at the shiny set of keys comment. Too true! I still like the show due to premise, but they could change it up for sure. I also hate the 1minute recap after every single commercial.
What’s your opinion on the outrage in response to the show? Like these 911 oppeators who are crying because it exposes how things sometimes go wrong and how some 911 ops are absolute idiots.
Cheers.
LikeLike
Sep 12, 2013 @ 23:40:52
The show is soooo dramatically fake it is unheard of
LikeLike
Sep 12, 2013 @ 23:44:40
Cassie’s phone is dead….oh wait she was able to plug it in and charge it for 5 minutes
LikeLike
Sep 12, 2013 @ 23:48:54
I am in a closet, I cannot lock myself in a room…really??? You are in a room, why didn’t you lock the door before you jumped in the closet???
LikeLike
Sep 12, 2013 @ 23:54:29
Oh my gosh, I am so scared…I am in a closet in my bedroom…there is a woman in the car and a man coming up the stairs….I cannot lock the bedroom door because I was too observant about noticing the woman in the car….Haha, so fake…thank god they cancelled
LikeLike
Sep 16, 2013 @ 11:18:44
I’m a paramedic and have been for 11 years. When I watch this show, I’m sickened by it. It’s disgusting. You the producers, creators, and even the real life characters who’ve decided to take part in this should be truly ashamed of yourselves. This show will affect those who’ve never been through terrifying situations like this, and will unnecessarily recreate it for others. I hope you consider canceling this.
LikeLike
Oct 17, 2013 @ 15:48:02
I LOVE THIS SERIES! I am 16 years old and love investigation shows. This is my all time favorite! I love the real stories, especially since someone broke into my house while I was home alone so I kind of get to relate and remember I am not the only one.
LikeLike
Nov 11, 2013 @ 11:45:08
Jeeze. This is like all the people upset over Melissa mcarthys debut on a magazine cover. She loved it and felt beautiful until America told her she was a wrong and should feel like a repressed fat girl. Uh, hello. The people on this show are the ones that MADE the calls. How is that exploitation you fools? They WANT to tell their stories. Just like on “I survived” “locked up abroad” “I almost got away with it” “the 500 lb man” “tree man”… Shall I go on? My boyfriend is a fireman and the only reason he doesn’t watch it is because he lives it everyday. I was almost killed by a man that broke into my house, grabbed a butcher knife and started kicking in my bedroom door. I would love to share my story….had the police taken my 17 year old 911 call seriously enough to stay on the line with me. The idiocy of people’s offense over things that have NOTHING to do with them baffles me.
LikeLike
Mar 11, 2014 @ 15:09:35
This show presented an episode that portrayed my son’s death without informing us. It presented the incident in the way they wanted to, but it didn’t match the police report or surveillance video. They edited extra audio into the 911 recording. It claims to be real, but it isn’t. The person who called 911 was never threatened or in danger, although she was understandably frightened. Instead of clarifying what happened, she went after her 15 minutes of fame. The show is disgusting and callous.
LikeLike
Jun 04, 2014 @ 09:15:26
It is horrific stories like the ones shown that are a learning lesson for others. Anybody who claims guns are evil, will sure use that evil when confronted with issues like these.
LikeLike
Jun 15, 2014 @ 20:49:30
OMG..,this is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen it kept me on the edge of my seat
LikeLike
Aug 08, 2014 @ 12:37:21
Wow people are so criticle. Change the channel if you don’t like it. I happen to like the show. It shows me the harsh truth.. makes me think twice before going to bed with a window unlocked or slider open. It’s reality
People should know the truth. The last thing we need is another soap opera or game show.. let me see the real stuff..
LikeLike
May 24, 2016 @ 22:29:42
I cannot believe you ppl! I was just searching for info on this show because I haven’t seen it in a long time & I was wondering why. I expected to find several viewers begging for the show’s return and new episodes! Yet, all I see is a few ppl bit#%ing about the past episodes. I guess I shldve known better! There’s always a buttload of overly-sensitive crybabies tht just insist on throwing their 2¢ in! If u didn’t like the series or find it interesting @ all, u cldve easily chose not to view it! Do you ppl also throw tantrums after watching the news?! Or do you plau thngs super safe these days & only watch the Disney channel?! GET OVER YOURSELVES ALREADY!!! Like I said before, if you do not want to see anythng other than rainbows & butterflies, all you need to do is press a button on tht thing called a remote and like magic… problem solved!!! However, there are ppl in this universe who find real-life struggles & events, yes- even the unfortunate ones, interesting. There’s sooo much one can learn from shows such as Rescue 911 and as for myself, I personally enjoy learning diff things to be aware of & watch out for in this life and certain actions tht could one day save my life or my family’s lives. It has nothing to do with finding any enjoyment whatsoever out of another’s tragedy or pain!!! Only monsters wld think of it in that manner. ~ Stay safe & alert folks! And know what to watch out for cause no one ever thinks someone is going to break into their home or business and inflict harm on them… but unfortunately it happens everyday, everywhere. So again, stay safe & be alert.
LikeLike
Jan 14, 2017 @ 19:56:53
The show panic911 is awesome
LikeLike
Oct 04, 2018 @ 14:07:14
This show was The Best in real true crime! I understand not everyone appreciated it and that’s fine. You cannot always please everyone. But heyyyy, if you didn’t like it then you didn’t have to watch it! Nobody was being forced to watch. The majority of viewers actually Loved it. You could come away with somerhing learned after each episode.
USA=LAND OF THE OFFENDED
LikeLike