5 Reasons Real-Life Firefighters Aren't Sold on Fire Country
Fire Country is actually much more controversial than you could imagine.
Fire remains to be a terrible force, devouring everything in its path, until it meets firefighters. Fire devours the health and even the lives of firefighters, but something makes them do this difficult job.
There are examples in the cinema that realistically show the fires themselves and the work of those who fight them. However, 2022 series Fire Country does not fall into this category, according to real firefighters.
Fire Country focuses on the work of California firefighters. A young prisoner, Bode, joins a firefighting program in search of redemption and a reduction in his prison sentence.
He and other inmates work alongside elite firefighters to extinguish massive fires throughout the region.
1. Blatant unrealism
First of all, the very first episode caused skepticism even among ordinary viewers. Three characters are trapped in a forest fire, and instead of trying to escape somehow, they create a conflict.
Then, of course, they find a safe place and the fire seems to peter out by itself.
2. Mispresentation of the real firefighters
Even before the show was released, the California firefighters, who had seen the trailer, issued a statement criticizing the show.
"This television series is a misrepresentation of the professional all-hazards fire department and resource protection agency that Cal Fire is," Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler said according to ABC 10.
3. Factual mistakes
Also, many do not understand the audience this series is intended for.
Californians know firsthand what devastating and terrible fires are, and for many, the fire created with the help of CGI causes just a smirk.
Moreover, many people in California are familiar with the vocabulary associated with fires, and the fairly frequent misuse of that vocabulary causes many to simply turn off the episode in the middle.
4. Lack of attention to detail
In addition, many notice the details that the writers and creators of Fire Country apparently missed.
For example, in one of the episodes, the character says that he remembers the Hanley Fire that broke out in Santa Rosa in 1964.
The actor looks too young to be of conscious age to remember what happened almost 60 years ago.
At the same time, there are other more recent disasters that would be a more reliable and true reference, such as the Tubbs Fire that broke out in the same town not so long ago.
5. Misrepresentation of the Conservation Fire Camps program
And one of the main complaints about the show is how the work of the Conservation Fire Camps program is portrayed.
In real life, many inmates who manage to complete the training either receive a meager salary or are unable to find work as a firefighter due to their criminal past.
The series does not reveal any controversial aspect, but instead gives viewers an inspiring story that could hardly have ever happened in real life.
Source: ABC 10