How Accurate Is CBS’ ‘Fire Country’?

Currently in its second season, land of fire is spreading like wildfire. The firefighting series, which airs weekly on CBS with an encore on Paramount+, has built a strong fan base in a short time.Series star and co-creator Max Thieriot Withdrew from the long-running series seal team We set out to make this firefighter drama, and so far it’s proven to be a success.but What are the real-life heroes in the fire department talking about? land of fire? Hmm, that’s complicated.

land of fire

A young inmate joins a firefighting program in search of redemption and a reduction in his sentence. He and other inmates work together with elite firefighters to extinguish large fires across the region.

release date

October 7, 2022

creator

Tony Phelan, Joan Leiter, Max Thieriot

season

2

What is “Land of Fire”?

land of fire The story is set in the fictional town of Edgewater in the forested mountains of Northern California. There, a convict fire camp called Three Rocks works with the local 42nd Precinct to protect the town, where inmates work while finishing their sentences (and whittling down their vacation days). The main inmate, Bord Donovan, aka Bord Leone (Thieriot), was raised by his parents (played by) Edgewater. billy burke and diane furrpreviously played a firefighter Help me) work for Cal Fire in the upper echelons of the organization. To further complicate matters, his best friend (played by jordan calloway and Jules Latimer) also serves with his family, although they initially consider them more family than their own son.

Heart of land of fire It’s the idea of ​​personal responsibility and redemption. As Bode tries hard to repair the relationship he broke years ago, he falls in love with Gabriela Perez, a diver turned firefighter.Stephanie Arcilla), he happens to be the daughter of his own mentor/Chief Manny (Kevin Alejandro). Of course, not everything goes as planned, and season 1 ends with Bode back in prison, but when he gets out about six months later, we see that Gabriela has moved on without him. It’s been a bumpy journey for the board and the staff at Three Rock and Station 42, but it’s a place they can’t help but return to week after week. But just because general audiences enjoy the hit drama series; That doesn’t mean the real-life Cal Fire appreciates their on-screen representation.

“Land of Fire” is not necessarily accurate

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is not particularly impressed, according to the Los Angeles Times.cal fire director Joe Tyler wrote in an email after the show’s first trailer was released in May 2022.The television series misrepresents Cal Fire, a professional all-hazards fire department and resource protection agency.“From the trailer alone, real-life firefighters were not happy with CBS’s attempt to bring the California Fire story to life. We are not involved in the production or production of the show. I would like to emphasize that I do not support the series. Tim EdwardsThe president of the California Firefighters Union added in his email: “We have spoken with our legal team and nothing will prevent us from airing this series or using the Cal Fire name.”

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what the people at Cal Fire had a problem with. If it’s an inmate fire camp program, it’s been around since World War II., when there was a shortage of firefighters and inmates were sent to help with certain tasks. Additionally, inmate firefighters (who undergo rigorous testing before being allowed to participate in fire camps) are four times more likely to be injured on the scene than non-inmate firefighters. is revealed every time you watch an episode of a TV show. land of fire. Yes, it’s a dangerous job, but ultimately it’s one that saves lives.

“When all these laws are implemented, we’re not even sending low-level inmates to prison, we’re sending multiple offenders who have committed violent crimes to prison. [fire] “It’s camp,” Edwards revealed to the Los Angeles Times. “That’s a risk, not just for the members and the captain, but for the general public as well.” land of fire itself tackles that very problem with the character of Sleeper Hadley (grant harvey) In Season 1, its presence becomes a great danger to Three Rock. if you have some trouble, Apparently land of fire Although it is in a highly fictionalized form, that part is understood correctly.. In the end, representatives of the Cal Fire Union continued to watch the first episode of the television show. land of firebut he also criticized it, especially Bode’s ability to get away with breaking the rules.

Not all firefighters are against the “Land of Fire”

of course, Not all firefighters are bad at responding. land of fire. In fact, one Reddit user who calls himself “Chief Durham” claims to have worked for Cal Fire for over 30 years and wrote highly positive weekly reviews of the show on the platform during its first season. (Even though they fixed some small mistakes the show makes). “One thing the writers, directors, producers and actors definitely get right on this show is camaraderie,” Durham wrote when reviewing episode 10, “Get Your Hopes Up” ( (via Reddit). “The concept of a second family. That’s very real at Cal Fire.” She goes on to explain how firefighting can create such strong bonds with other people, and how to land of fire He’s great at exploring just that. There’s no doubt that it can cause interpersonal issues between the characters, and the second season of the show begins to explore that.

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The world of “9-1-1” would be better off without multiple episode disasters

These mass disasters were top-tier early in the season, but quickly became a pretty old tradition.

moreover, land of fire We have some great minds working on bringing the series to life.One of the people involved behind the scenes is a consultant. jeff snyder, He worked as a firefighter for decades before retiring. “For example, if you see something and go, ‘Okay, there’s no way you’re going to wear boots like that,'” Snyder told the LA Times. “They say, ‘Okay, great, wait a minute. Let’s replace all the boots. Let’s make sure this is right.'” Of course, not all suggestions are considered, but former firefighters According to the scholar, People involved in the production of land of fire Willing to learn all I can about fighting real fires.

Snyder believes there’s a clear reason why Cal Fire was so upset about the fictional TV drama. “Firefighters in general are very good at finding fault with each other,” Snyder continued. “I used to joke, ‘If you took five random firefighters and put them in front of a fire training video, they’d tear it up.’ … We’re pretty ruthless. ” Durham corroborated Snyder’s comments in the aforementioned Reddit post, pointing out that he also does so when criticizing the CBS series despite being a fan. Nevertheless, early strong antiland of fire Cal Fire’s attitude proved enough to damage the show’s reputation before the first episode was broadcast.

Max Thieriot wants to share his childhood experiences in the “Land of Fire”

Series star and co-creator Max Thieriot hopes to continue expanding his work. land of fireI was surprised by Cal Fire’s response to . land of fire trailer. “I think I was more surprised by their speed.” [weighed in] I didn’t see anything,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “About how quickly opinions came out from the trailers that were cut to bring in audiences.” Thieriot told Variety in October 2022. The show was inspired by his childhood experiences He watches over inmate firefighters in his hometown in Northern California. “It was just normal everyday life for me,” the actor said. “When you see conservation camp staff operating in their cars on the side of the highway and on fire lines, especially people who are not from there, they had no idea this was a thing until a few years ago. I realized it wasn’t there.”

land of fire show runner Tia Napolitano Noting that the show doesn’t always strive for accuracy, he said, “We know we’re making an entertainment show. This is not a documentary. We’re doing our best.” Told. Thieriot continued, “My biggest goal, and what I hope people take away from this show, is being able to see two different groups of people.” “It’s about firefighters and local blue-collar firefighters… coming together towards one goal.” , has one purpose. ” parable land of fire is not the most accurate show in the field of firefighting, but it does a great job of bringing people together.

land of fire It airs Friday nights on CBS and is available on Paramount+.

Watch on Paramount+