Starting this fall wildland firefighters will have the dubious pleasure of watching their profession depicted in a television series on a major network. Fire Country is about a guy, Bode Donavan, who is in a California prison and signs up to serve on a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection inmate hand crew. It turns out that the camp where the crew is based is in his hometown, “The place where all his troubles began,” says the CBS description of the drama.
It is scheduled to air Fridays at 9/8 CT. I’m sure that real firefighters will enjoy picking it apart after it premieres.
In the trailer below, the fire scenes appear to be computer-generated imagery (CGI). Wildfire flames and smoke are some of the most difficult scenes to pull off successfully with CGI. It will be interesting to watch how well it is done. The best I have seen was in Only the Brave, about the Granite Mountain Hotshots.
Update May 28, 2022
The Director of CAL FIRE, Joe Tyler, sent an email to the agency’s employees indicating that CAL FIRE is not pleased. Here is an excerpt:
This television series is a misrepresentation of the professional all-hazards fire department and resource protection agency that CAL FIRE is. The dramatization of inmate firefighters fighting members of CAL FIRE is a poor reflection of the value of our Camps Program and the incredible work and leadership of our fire captains who supervise our handcrews.
While we cannot prevent this television series from airing, I believe it is important for each of you to hear from me directly that the Department was not involved in its creation or support.
I love it…..
OMG…Where is all this negativity coming from ? Making a good movie or series is awesome work. Why not
give these folks a chance?
I’m a former inmate firefighter and aspiring screenwriter. I’ve been noodling with the idea of using that experience for a screenplay, but the fact is, there’s nothing interesting or exciting about being an inmate firefighter.
Not to be too nitpicky or critical before I’ve seen the show, but the premise that the inmate and lead character is sent to a camp based in his hometown is ridiculous. That would NEVER happen–they base you as far away as possible from where you live. Just based on that, I’d bet the house this show is a dud. The devil is in the details.
I finally watched the trailer and I see that the main character is the guy who plays Clay on Seal Team, now on Paramount+. There is some stuff online that wonders if this actor will go back and forth between shows… Now, for some reason, I really like Seal Team so I am tending to hope this new show tanks so Clay can go back to being Bravo 6… time will tell. Either way, the sky will not fall.
I’ve never been a CALFIRE fire fighter (but have thirty years experience as a CALFIRE Runner). So, Based on what I have learned and what my experiences have been during those years,I feel confident to add my comments.
This is just another run-of-the-mill, mundane, made for TV sitcom. Full of melodramatic, inaccurate,overacted depictions of what the producers think the public wants to imagine the life of a wild lands firefighter to be.
Here’s hoping it will not last it’s full season!
Just read that Cal Fire is taking legal action against this show. Hopefully, they will be able to have disclaimers posted at the beginning and end of the episode as they plan to do. With any luck the show might even be cancelled before it begins.
Thank you, Chief Tyler for moving so quickly on this to protect Cal Fire’s good name.
The trailer was all I needed. Imma teach you to rake the forest floor.
Maybe I won’t mentioned I work for CDF for thirty-eight years for a while. Sad, very sad.
This production is an abomination! How does something like this get an airing on major TV? Cal Fire and California Dept. of Corrections didn’t have anything todo with this program. What a dis-service to not only Cal Fire, CDCR but all agencies that respond to wildland incidents across the country.
Just more absolute garbage, I wish just once they would come close to getting it right, no matter which agency is depicted, CDC crews, are you kidding me, I recall that we had to entertain People Magazine for a feel good story, that cured me for life, 100% crap, I was embarrassed by the article, we were out of our comfort zone the entire time.
I would rant about a couple of other things but I do not want Bill G. upset w/ me…..so i will stop….lol….
Only the brave was almost half way ok, only barely……
Point to a spot on a map, “We are going to make our stand right here…..god I love this job…..pure crap” Aughhhhhhh!!!!!!!
Lol. This looks so terrible.
I am 78 years old and I grew up in fird camps and Smokey the Bear my father worked for the US Forest Service.
You cannot imagine the real danger they face on the job and I am glad to see more attention given to them..
I have not watched the trailer yet, but I will get around to it.
Years and years…. and years ago, in the 70s, about the time I was working as a NPS seasonal, they had a TV show about National Park Rangers in a park called Sierra National Park. It was pretty to look at but SO dumb. I only remember one bit when the Rangers had to go out to rescue some rock climbers and they were acting pissed off…. when in reality, the Rangers who really did such things LOVED to get out on the rocks and ropes for any reason. But, the show did increase interest in working as a Park Ranger.
This looks horrible. A quick check of the production credits in IMDB reveal some of the people behind this also brought us “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Station 19”. I guess I’m too burned out and jaded to be able to appreciate what passes for entertainment on Network Television these days, but I can’t look at this as anything but profiting on other people’s misfortunes. I suppose many would find it interesting, though, as it gives a window in to a world that so many Americans only see on the news.
I did watch “Rescue Me”, the 2004 show starring Dennis Leary about firefighters in New York post 911. A more accurate depiction of human beings, in my humble opinion.
Absolutely correct!
> “can’t look at this as anything but profiting on other people’s misfortunes.”
Unfortunately I suspect a lot of people will view this as a documentary …
Prison crews work hard and deserve credit, but the majority of the guys and girls out there have led honorable lives. And California really it’s probably the worst state to represent us. When they quit killing fire fighters every year maybe. I think I will pass.
“I remember back in ‘04, when I single-handedly fought a fire to save my hometown and my dog’s house. My old best friend, who was dating my ex-girlfriend, and I got in a fist fight during night ops. The salty crew boss just kept walking around saying, I love this job.”
That is the pitch for this show as I picture it.
@ Bill H
hahahahahahaha! You nailed it.
This reminds me of an old hippie friend about 30 years ago who said the most entertaining thing he’d ever done was to sit on the couch with a couple hotshot buddies and smoke a joint and watch old reruns of Adam-12.
Sounds terrible. Won’t get my vote.
I just hope this series doesn’t deteriorate, in the viewers’ eyes and opinions, the demanding and dedicated job that wildland firefighters do in the real world — as Hollywood can romanticize such topics and take away from the life and death trauma of wildland firefighting. Wildland fires are, unfortunately, a growing phenomenon, due to the current changes in weather systems. Should this series spark interest in the growth of wildland firefighter numbers, remuneration and safety training, then it will have served it’s proper purpose!
This promises to make Firestorm look like a documentary. ?
M. Monster,
I’d watch that. Need at least one scene where someone has a bladderbag leaking down their butt and loses it and makes some some stupid invention like backwards pants or something trying to fix it. Take my money!
Greg Bishop,
Get your game face on, we’re gonna make some hay! ???
Who wrote this crap! Seriously, let’s start with the inmate who turns into a firefighter. (A real Cinderella story!) Turns his life around, really? As an inmate you’d make $2 to $5 a day in camp and an additional $1 to $2 an hour when on a fire line. Let’s call that what it is…Slavery. Hey, but at lease he (a good looking white guy) learns a trade, so that he can go work for the FS at $15/hr. Oh, wait no that’s not right! He’s going to work for CalFire for $30/hr. Whatever!!! Oh, and don’t get me started on the women roles in this soap opera. The ex, who supposedly got him in prison. Whatever dud, take responsibility! She apparently ins up with a “real” fire fighter. (Shes got some issues!!!) Come on writers, you can do better than that! And the only “real” woman firefighter is African American, really, someone look at the stats on that one! Why not do a real show about inmates who are firefighters? Why not do a real show on firefighters? Something like The G Word on Netflix. Maybe, talk about the real issues like capacity, diversity, lack of pay, not being able to spend time with your family, sexual harassment, rape, pregnancies, abortion, injuries, drug addiction. suicides, cancer, and losing homes, friends, and family in a wildfire. Oh, wait, that’s sound really depressing! Why would anyone watch that! Why watch something we live everyday!?! I think I’ll skip this one! Everyone stay safe out there! Enjoy your 90 days off…Who am I kidding y’all are going to be dealing with wildfire in the next 90 days! Have fun!
Can’t call it slavery when you have to VOLUNTEER to join up and then get paid to do it !
Grow up and quit whining about it. What’s the option, leave them in the human warehouses ?
This this show sucks before even getting started !
Or have the inmates cut line that the Fire behavior dictates, not 10-30’ on every single Fire. Maybe then the mates’ could actually make some real progress IMO. Vice got it really right following IHC’s a few years back. Why not follow the mates’ tell their stories as they hit IA’s all summer?!
I was thinkin’…It would be funny to watch Jason Patton on Fire Department Chronicles make fun of this show.
Writers of all the emergency shows always rely on the soap opera. When you throw-in the BS girlfriend-boyfriend and squabbles that end-up on the fireline I’m changing the channel. And keep “I love this job” and other overdone phrases out of the dialogue.
The exposure is good. On the other hand…. no. I want to see some show just based around the dialogue that happens on day 12 mop-up. Don’t even need the CGI.
Current Supervisor you made me gut laugh!! I know that day! And that dialogue!
Love the idea! Thanks for making me smile!
Ken Kerr,
Right? ?
We once came up with the idea of having a sitcom about life at the station. Basically just BS all day and talking crap to each other. Somewhere along the lines of it’s always sunny and super troopers. Even figured out which actors could play all of us.
Check out Tacoma FD on Trutv. From the creators of super troopers.
Sorry to see CalFire having anything to do with this show. On the face of it, it looks terrible.
Cal Fire, CDCR, and the Union had nothing to do with this show.
It did, anything for a little PR
It did, anything for a little PR
Cal fire had nothing to do with it what do ever.
Fire country is my new favorite program. Love Bodie. The whole cast is really good!
I am anxious to see how this show will do. I’m sorry to hear bad things said and it hasn’t even aired 1 show yet. We all know that fighting fires is very dangerous work. But we already have Chicago Fire on another network and it seems to be holding ground and I for one love the show as well others since it is still being aired.
Give this show a chance to prove itself. Pretty ingenious to take prison inmates and put them out there to fight the fires.
Let the viewers decide if it is worth seeing.
Thank you
This show is not realistic, I will not watch it shain