lfdcaptain

As a 30 year veteran California Firefighter and Credentialed Fire Instructor, I've been entertained watching the series and I'm sure that was the intention of the writers. I could list positives and negatives all day but one can pick almost any show apart for authenticity and believability. I wanted the show to be mostly believable and it kinda is .......but I'm wondering if it has CalFire's endorsement. I understand the need for theatrics in the name of entertainment and the liberties taken to make this one specific district look like they get all the calls and have all the skills and experience in the world... but CalFire is made to look pretty "bush league" at the end of season 3. Two "seasoned" Battalion Chiefs, on the scene of a well involved structure fire, run straight into the blaze. With their long hair flowing outside of their helmets, they run straight into a structure that is largely in free-burn, likely very hot and certainly to be considered IDLH (Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health). No SCBA (breathing-air tank and face mask), no flash protection, no protection lines, no accountability system. CalFire logos are everywhere you look and this is not a good representation, (put mildly), of their Command staff or their competence. Having run an accredited California Fire academy for 15 years, I could have used this particular sequence to illustrate SEVERAL, "Do Not Do This" tactics. A topic for another post would be the apparent "hill-folk" type nepotism. Entertaining? - Yes Authentic? - Not Really