October
16, 2018
Friday,
April 4, 2014 (Original Date of Show Creation)
Created
by Roger J Lown ©
A proposal for a
reality show promoting and honoring Volunteer Firefighters/First Responders.
Title
of Reality show: “Fire Whistle Heroes!" ©2018
Pitch: From
everyday citizens to firefighters at the sound of alert tones.
 |
| The fire whistle volunteer firefighters depend on for alert. |
Narrative
“All across our
nation in our communities there are men and women from age sixteen to sixty
years of age who are trained and ready and willing to voluntarily answer their
neighbors call for help. When their alert pagers open up and the firehouse
whistle wails in the day or in the night our brave men and women become
volunteer firefighters. When others run from the danger zone, we run in.”
My proposal is
that a camera person/crew follows volunteer fire and rescue personnel either
individually or as a group in everyday life ready to respond to their neighbors
call for help.
The audience
will get to see our volunteers with their alert pagers and “turn-out” gear
carried along, as they are ready when the fire/rescue tones “open up” and they
listen to the call for help. Calls range from house fires to auto accidents,
from down trees to down power lines to evacuating residents during hurricanes,
tornadoes, and snowstorms and every emergency where lives are in danger. They
will see the humanity of our rescue and ambulance personnel as they calm
frightened patients in traumatic medical emergencies. The audience will also
see the men and women of our communities marching in townships and county
parades being followed by the pumpers, tankers, rescue rigs and ladder trucks
which are polished and gleaming that are the pride of the department.
Volunteer first responders are on call
24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 days of the year including holidays and family
events such as birthdays and weddings. I believe my fellow brother and sister
volunteers want the television audience to observe the quick decisions the men
and women have to make as they go about their lives until the alarm goes of
changing their direction. There are occasions when they may have to decide for example
if they are able to respond to a call. A first responder woman may be shopping
when her alert pager goes off, does she continue shopping or does she drop
everything and go to the alarm? If she is a mother with a child she is unable
to respond. A first responder man may be at home working on a project where he
to must decide does he stay or drop everything he’s doing and go? If he is a
father with children in his care he is unable to respond. Depending on the
nature of the alarm both may leave what they’re doing in the situation of a
reported structure fire (also known in the fire dept. community as a 10-75) if
their situation permits. On an all hands structure fire almost every volunteer
responds because they want to be involved.
My objective is
to show the love the men and women volunteers have for their service that some
will plan their lives around the department. There is an old adage “It’s in my
blood” and for these brave men and women the volunteer fire and rescue service
is definitely in their blood and it is their life purpose to serve others.
I want to
capture the thinking and the mindset of the volunteer responding to an alarm
preparing for the worst-case scenario on a critical alarm and maintaining a
calm cool and collective state of mind. Hopefully the audience will develop an
understanding and appreciation what our volunteer First Responders go through physically
and emotionally. Through this show I want to displace that old negative
stereotype that all volunteer firemen do is sit and around and drink beer while
waiting for a call. Today our volunteer first responders serve a vital role in
our communities taking time out of their busy life training to operate safely
and effectively at building fires, vehicle accident extrication, as well as
weather emergencies and natural disasters and wild fires in our woodlands. The
men and women of America’s volunteer fire and rescue service put their heart
and soul into everything they do for their department and their community. They
take time out of their busy schedules, a day off from work to teach school
children fire prevention in public schools.
Often volunteers deal with a public
who does not understand them especially when that loud fire whistle wails in
the day and in the night, they don’t consider that a dedicated neighbor is
answering that call for help. Yet they go about their duties in silent and
humble service. It is due time that we recognize those who voluntarily answer
their neighbor’s call for help despite no financial compensation, insurance,
not even discount gasoline or repairs for wear and tear on their personal
vehicles. Or the fact that they are called away from loved ones to answer an
alarm. They don’t complain they just proudly serve their community and their
country. It is now time that our volunteer first responders are recognized for
their love and commitment for their neighbor. No one loves their neighbor more
than our volunteer firefighters, rescue squads and ambulance crews who
sacrifice their time and risk their lives to save others.
I am a former
volunteer firefighter having served twenty years with the East Fishkill
Volunteer Fire Department In Duchess County, N.Y as an active interior
firefighter and 2 years as a lieutenant. Six of those years I also served as an
ambulance driver. My desire is to create a show that shines with the American
volunteer spirit and show ordinary citizens performing extraordinary acts of
service. Everyday in America’s communities our volunteer citizens are prepared
with their gear and alert pagers everywhere they go ready to roll when the
alarm goes off. When the alarm goes off the siren mounted on the roof of the station
(a traditional symbol of the American volunteer fire department) is activated.
The siren wails calling her heroes to alert. This is the American volunteer
fire department and this is their story.
Show script:
The show opens
with host surrounded by members of a volunteer fire department.
Host: All across
our great nation there are men and women in our communities who are trained
ready and willing to voluntarily run into dangerous emergency situations when
their neighbors find themselves in trouble. Tonight we get an opportunity to
follow our volunteer heroes as they go about their everyday lives ready to
respond when the alarm goes off.
Introduction
ends with host saying the tagline: “I’m your host Roger Lown, Heroes at the sound of alert tones.
Cut
to commercial break.
When the show
returns from commercial break a volunteer who is randomly selected is shown on
camera stating the following:
Hello I am
(John/Mary) (Doe) from the (hometown) volunteer fire dept and you’re watching Heroes at the sound of alert tones.
Show returns
showing map of USA then zeroing on a state (for example New York) then a
county, Dutchess county. The audience hears the hosts voice announce along with
the maps (For example): New York State- Dutchess County-
The East
Fishkill Fire District; Hopewell Hose Co.1, Stormville Fire Co.2, Hillside Lake
Fire Co.3, and Wiccopee Fire Co. 4. Four stations one family and all one
hundred percent volunteer.
The camera
focuses on the chief, the station and the members living their lives in
anticipation for a call.
Roger
Lown
