They should re-title it and call it death of a fire department. Shortly after the show it became about ems. Being a fireman was dead. Let's go on thousands of sick people to justify our existence as fire dept. As cool as I thought that show was I didn't realize what I was watching. The art of being a fireman dying.
"Truckman", I can certainly understand where you are coming from. And this show started a new era for the fire dept. but as this show started to appear, the fires of the busy 70s were starting to slow down. For most places, except for places like NYC or the larger cities, fire calls started to slow down. It was actually responding to medical calls that kept many firehouse open. People could somehow relate to having a medical issue, but not a fire. Firefighters were basically trained to deal with emergency situtations, the firehouses were staffed 24 hours a day, and most places had these firehouse throughout the city.
It only made sense that if a city would send a rig to a trash can fire, why not send it to a serious medical issue that needs a quick response to save a life. Of course most guys would much rather put their skills to work fighting a fire. We wouldn't expect it to be any other way. But I know from the medical calls that I went to, most people were very happy to see us show up.
And here's something else to consider. Fires are down today because of much tougher building codes. Sprinklers, smoke detectors, and early calls from cellphones have also led to less fires today.
In reality, in my opinion, the TV Show "Emergency" actually plyed a huge roll in keeping fire companies open. But I know exactly what you are saying and I can relate to your feelings. So these days, besides checking out the air pack you wear, you need to make sure that medical box is fully supplied.
