Rescue Heroes (TV series)

Rescue Heroes is an animated adventure television series produced by Nelvana. Based on the Fisher-Price toy line of the same name, the television series tracks the adventures of a team of emergency responders who rescue people from various disasters.

The series premiered in Canada on Teletoon on October 2, 1999, and ran for three seasons until December 18, 2002. On November 18, 2003, a film titled Rescue Heroes: The Movie was released, but became a final episode for the series.

Overview
Rescue Heroes focuses on a group of rescue personnel who aim to save lives around the world from both natural and man-made disasters.

The headquarters, also known as the Mountain Action Command Center, is where team leader Billy Blazes, along with team members Wendy Waters, Jake Justice, Jack Hammer, Ariel Flyer, and Rocky Canyon, reside. Calls for help come into the command center through Warren Waters, the director and chief dispatcher of the Rescue Heroes.

The television series aims to show how to handle emergency situations, as well as how to deal with personal issues, such as disagreements. At the end of most episodes the Rescue Heroes would give safety tips and discuss how to handle the conflict presented in the episode. The episode would then usually conclude with the motto "Think like a Rescue Hero, think safe."

Main

 * Billy Blazes (voiced by Norm Spencer), a Canadian firefighter hailing from Quebec, is the leader of the Rescue Heroes who helped choose the other members of the team. He has a younger brother named Bobby, as well as a father. Billy had an uneasy relationship with his father. This was because Bobby chose to become a firefighter like Billy, instead of being a construction worker like his father. It was revealed in the episode "Flashback to Danger" that Billy was chosen to be a Rescue Hero after saving a group of children trapped in a carnival ride that was set ablaze.
 * Wendy Waters (voiced by Lenore Zann), a firefighter, is effectively the second-in-command. Her father, Warren, is a Rescue Hero who works at a space station. It was through a news report about a factory being set ablaze that lead to her being chosen to try out for the Rescue Heroes.
 * Jake Justice (voiced by Martin Roach), a police officer, was chosen to try out for the Rescue Heroes when he caught a wanted criminal after a televised car chase that made national headlines. It is revealed in the revival that he has a daughter named Sky Justice.
 * Richmond "Rocky" Canyon (voiced by Joseph Motiki), a mountain climbing specialist, is the youngest member of the Rescue Heroes. When Billy had once considered quitting the Rescue Heroes it was ultimately Rocky, through an audition video, who convinced him to stay, cementing Billy's decision to hire Rocky. The episode "Twister" revealed that his hometown is in Oklahoma, and that his father had died.
 * Ariel Flyer (voiced by Lisa Messinger in season one and Deborah Odell in seasons two and three), a bilingual flight and wildlife specialist, was once a stunt pilot who had a rival named Avery Ator. However, Avery's lack of concern for safety has led to Ariel rescuing him on two occasions.
 * Jack Hammer (voiced by Rod Wilson), a construction worker hailing from Texas, was originally a contractor hired to build the Rescue Heroes' base of operations, but had saved a fellow construction worker in a crane accident. Because of this, he was given the opportunity to try out for the Rescue Heroes. Jack has a strong-willed younger sister named Jill, who is a member of the Texas Fire Brigade, and with whom Jack has a complicated relationship that's both loving and fractious.

Season 1 (1999–2000)

 * This is the only season to use cel animation.

Season 2 (2001)

 * This is the first season to use digital ink-and-paint animation.

Season 3 (2002)

 * This is the last season to use digital ink-and-paint animation.

Broadcast and home media
Rescue Heroes premiered in Canada on Teletoon on October 2, 1999, until its final episode (as a film) aired on November 18, 2003. It ran for three seasons. In the United States, the series aired on both CBS, as part of the CBS Kidshow from 1999 to 2000; and Kids' WB, from 2001 to 2003. Occasionally, it aired on Toonzai/Vortexx in the early 2010s. Repeats aired on Qubo in 2009 until it ceased in 2021.

In the 2000s, Fisher-Price released all volumes on VHS with the episode "Lava Alarm", Fisher-Price released volumes on DVD under the title "Adventure Collection".

As of 2023, the series is currently streaming free on NBC's Peacock service and Pluto TV.

Revival series
On April 16, 2019, Fisher-Price revived the Rescue Heroes series exclusively for YouTube. Each five minute episode aired on Fisher-Price's YouTube channel.

The revival introduced several new characters while maintaining two characters from the original TV show – Billy Blazes and Rocky Canyon.

Characters

 * Billy Blazes (Jason Paquettee) – The team leader of the Rescue Heroes. Billy hails from Quebec.
 * Carlos Kitbash (Patrick Pedraza) – A rescue cadet, who is also a mechanic, that hails from Cuba.
 * Forrest Fuego (Giorgio Cavalli) – A fire rescue cadet hailing from Colombia. His favorite sport is soccer.
 * Reed Vitals (Peter Kim) – A medical rescue cadet hailing from South Korea.
 * Richmond "Rocky" Canyon (Wellington Saygbay) – No longer the rookie, Rocky, a mountain climbing specialist, is now a Mountain Rescue Hero.
 * Sandy O'Shin (Stephanie McKeon Riabko) – A water rescue cadet hailing from Ireland.
 * Sky Justice (Nzinga Blake) – An air rescue cadet hailing from Nigeria; she is the daughter of former Rescue Heroes member Jake Justice.
 * Al Valanche – A seasoned snowboarder hailing from France. He has a pet lynx named Claws.
 * A.R.I.N (Katherin Kennard) – The artificial intelligence of the Rescue Heroes who gives them their missions.