What you see on the screens does not always correspond to life. Four myths about lifeguard TV series

The daily lives of firefighters, doctors and other rescue workers depicted in films and TV series are filled with heroic events and dramas, but what you see on the screens does not always correspond to real life, even if the emotions they feel viewers are very true.

Let’s take a look at the fire brigade series “Chicago Fire” (“Chicago Fire”). The creators of the series try to make everything as realistic as possible, so the shooting takes place in a real fire station, but the actors often see real firefighters in the background. It should be noted that this depot has become one of Chicago’s favorite tourist attractions.

Another interesting fact related to this series is that in November 2012 a local television channel reported to viewers of a terrible plane crash in Chicago, showing live footage of the scene. As it turned out, it was actually the filming location of the then new “Chicago on Fire” series. The “Chicago in flames” series premiered shortly before this incident on October 10, 2012. It has been proven successfully for more than ten years. Most recently, on September 22, 2022, it premiered its new eleventh season.

Another series that describes the daily life of the rescuers is “9-1-1”which has been shot since 2018 and just premiered its sixth season on September 19, 2022. It tells itself Los Angeles police officers, paramedics, firefighters and dispatchers who are the first to go to help those in danger. The creators of the series are often inspired by real events and the calls they receive ASV 911 rescue service personnel.

Each episode of Lifeguard tries to portray the daily life of a firefighter, but fortunately, in real life, firefighters don’t have to risk their lives or rescue victims every day. They also set mattresses on fire, rescued cats that climbed trees, and provided other types of assistance. What other myths and truths exist about the work of firefighters and other rescuers?

Myth: The building is on fire, but there is hardly any smoke

In fact, even if the fire is in a small space, it produces enough smoke that the visibility is close to zero. A true fire scene would be a room filled with gray, green, or black smoke.

The characters are almost always seen standing in the smoking room. In real life, firefighters often have to crawl across the floor, where there is better visibility and air to breathe. Additionally, some characters are faced with personal drama and other problems in this stuffy space, which is, of course, impossible in reality.

Fire scenes use carefully placed propane gas burners to create a flame effect. These burners are filled remotely. It should be noted that there are many people with fire extinguishers on the set. There is no smoke, of course, because the audience has to see the actors.

Bad and thanks to television, where brave firefighters are seen jumping into burning buildings without thinking twice, people get the idea that this also happens in real life. However, the first law of a firefighter is to assess his own safety and only then go on a rescue mission.

Myth: Young firefighters go out to put out a fire on their first day of work

If in other workplaces there are so-called “baptisms of fire” already on the first day of work, this is not permitted in the work of the fire brigade. Even well-trained new hires are generally accompanied on their first calls by colleagues with at least 5-15 years of experience and are well prepared for future challenges.

Of course, everyone whose job description includes fighting fires and saving lives actively strives to stay in good physical shape, but fire stations don’t recruit by appearance. Additionally, job duties do not include putting out fires and rescuing shirtless people, as seen in some episodes of the series.

Myth: When you fight a fire, you scream a lot

In critical and life-threatening situations, people tend to raise their voices so they can be heard in the chaos around them. But one of the first things a firefighter needs to learn is to stay calm in any situation.

Even real-life radio communications aren’t as perfect as shown in the series – their audibility can deteriorate or even disappear completely, leaving rescuers with no internal communications. Therefore, the training emphasizes that the most important information should be provided at the beginning of the conversation, so that in the event of a communication breakdown, the rescuers have all the information they need to provide assistance.

Myth – Firefighters often burn in flames

In fact, firefighters don’t just die on duty. They suffer from the same health problems as representatives of other professions: heart disease, cancer and others.

Speaking of the United States, where the events of the “Chicago in flames” and “9-1-1” series take place, it must be said that in this country there are about 365,000 professional firefighters and 676,900 amateurs. Statistics show that in 2021, 70 rescuers died while performing their duties. The highest number of firefighter deaths in the United States was in 2001, when the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred. 441 firefighters lost their lives that year.