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Does Hollywood accurately portray the fire service, or is it all just glitz and glam for the cam?
My fire service background is mainly having worked in small volunteer departments... So I don't know the inner workings of a big city squad... Is the job of a firefighter, EMT, or paramedic accurately portrayed by the movie and television industry. I'd love to hear your opinions on this and what shows or movies you enjoy relating to our chosen field of firefighting...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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Hollywood isn't 100% accurate, because it doesn't sell to the public. Many in the public care less about our betweeen the bell downtime, so Hollywood builds in a storyline that appease the masses. So to answer the question, absolutely... no.
But believe it or not, some of what many here on FFN say WTF to is actually close... Why? because many like yourself are not exposed to how some operate in the bigger departments. Doesn't make it right or any better than how rural departments run, it is more in line with "instilled traditions".
Like in backdraft, the kitchen sign said, 150 years of tradition unimpeded by progress.
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Permalink Reply by Fire Capt. 1304 on
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I would say no, If you look at ladder 49 you have an atleast 14 story warehouse style building with heavy fire showing from I believe it was the top 8 floors with people trapped on those floors. Outside you have master streams from ladder trucks and deck guns from the engines going which should have made that a defensive attack, and no fire personnel should have been allowed inside the building. In real life we should be outside spraying water but in movies that would be boring so they fill it with extra drama by using situations that we would or should never do.
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Permalink Reply by jared m snyder on
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that's actually pretty funny...
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Permalink Reply by ashfire on
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Emergency I think tried to put the clean look to the fire service. A lot of behind the scenes like Rescue Me in some ways come close to some firefighters lives. To make a show interesting to the public they may have to throw in some unbelieveable rescue or fire fighting.
You have to look at the many seasons that Emergency stayed on NBC before the plug was pulled on the show I guess because they ran out of story line.
Rescue Me because they can get away with scenes and language on cable makes it a hit.
Now it will be gone by 2011.
Will another fire and rescue service show move in to draw the publics attention, wait and see.
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Permalink Reply by Tony P on
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All the production company is interested in is the money. Accuracy is not only irrelevant it is a bloody hindrance; it just gets in the way of a good story. Hollywood provides what the paying public seem to want. They provide drama and almost non-stop action. Would people pay money to watch a group of firefighters training? Would they pay to watch firefighters going to a small bin fire, a false alarm? Going to a massive bushfire and sitting in the staging area waiting as part of the asset protection reserve? Would they pay to watch a show that depicted firefighters as normal people leading (generally) normal home lives? I think ‘no’ is the answer to those questions.
My answer? Accuracy no, glitz and glam yes.
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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We all know that Hollywood is completely accurate in everything they portray...
Every car that wrecks immediately blows up.
Every fire consists entirely of orange flame, no smoke, and good visibility.
All cops are drunks who drink on duty and/or are mega-violent thugs.
All paramedics except for those working for the Baltimore City Fire Departmentwear white shirts, generic Star of Life patches, and ties while on duty.
People can easily develop superpowers after being bitten by a radioactive spider or being sent to earth from another planet.
The United Federation of Planets has a fleet of starships.
And most importantly, I look exactly like Bull.
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Permalink Reply by Ron Ayotte on
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This is a tongue in cheek question... right?
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Permalink Reply by Kenneth Holley on
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I think Hollywood comes as close as they can to real life in the movies about the fire service. While Rescue Me does com closer we must remember that it is a cable show and can get away with showing what it's almost really like. If i remember right there was a reality type show about the Boston FD that was on for a short while but it was cancelled. I think it was too much real life for the execs. We in the fire service know what is real and what is not. We know what a firefighter is capable of doing and what they should not do in a given situation. We know what is real. I can live with someonelse's fantasy of our job. But if they want a taste of the real world they can climb aboard the engine or the truck anytime.
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Make sure that you wear your "oxygen" tank to your next fire so you can burst into flame every time you take a breath.
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Our town's police force has massive gun battles with the forces of evil in the streets of a subdivision on a daily basis. Both sides use military style automatic weapons. Fortunately, they're all terrible marksmen, so no one gets hurt. The taxes to pay for all of the police car light bars are heinous, though.
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I remember there was a pilot fire dept TV show comedy back in the 70s. I remember the begining had the fire station repsonding to a nudest colony and the next scene is the firefighters standing behind bushes with just their helmets on using a hose on the fire.
Now you have a comedy show on now The House Of Payne where you have a family of firefighters. Then there was Savages with a firefighter father and his sons. There have been a few shows where someone in a family is a firefighter.
Maybe more comedies firefighter shows have more of a draw than drama.
Maybe a show almost like Scrubes
I have seen a R rated comedy firefighter movie where women come to work for a all male fire station. Topless, nude, and sex scenes and comedy but I can't remember the name of it.
How about movies like Mother, Juggs and Speed that had a TV pilot.
Kent McCord of Adam-12 did a LACFD movie about a single father his two kids living in a LA County remote brush station which he was the only man on duty with a midi pumper to run calls in.
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Best line I've heard regarding Backdraft...
"That movie just isn't realistic, especially the sex scene atop the pumper. I've NEVER seen hose that clean in any firehouse." Citation excluded to protect the guilty.
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