A method and apparatus for call recovery in a wireless communication system (10). When the communication link between a mobile station (38) and a base station (32) is in trouble, the mobile station and the infrastructure prearrange potential rescue base stations (34). The source cell base station contacts all recovery-capable neighbors as potential rescuers. Each rescue base station is instructed to use a default channel for rescue transmissions. The rescue transmission is considered a call recovery operation. The mobile station establishes a soft hand-off with rescue base station, wherein the FL uses the default channel and an alternate channel. Once hand-off is complete the rescue base station discontinues use of the default channel. In one embodiment, the source cell base station provides the mobile station with the list of recovery-capable neighbors as overhead during transmissions and prior to development of the communication link problem.