Actress Danielle Savre, who fights fires in hit ABC show Station 19, has revealed her inspiration for the role is her real-life firefighter sister.
Danielle plays tough firefighter Maya Bishop, a former Olympic athlete, in the action-packed spinoff of ‘Grey’s Anatomy‘.
The show is based on the high octane drama associated with the crew of a busy Seattle firehouse.
But the actress admits her TV heroics are nothing compared to the real-life heroism of sister Stephanie Savre, a fire-fighter/paramedic for the Los Angeles Fire Department.
In an exclusive interview with DailyMailTV, Danielle, who was sat alongside Stephanie, gushed about how ‘proud’ she is of her ‘bada**’ sister.
She said: ‘I am so proud of my sister, she’s a real-life superhero.
Art imitating life: Actress Danielle Savre has told DailyMailTV how she draws inspiration for her role from her sister Stephanie, a real-life firefighter for LAFD
TV hero: Savre plays tough firefighter Maya Bishop (left) in ABC’s hit series Station 19, but admits her on-screen heroics is nothing compared to her sister’s real-life heroism
‘I’ve always been proud of her from the day you said you were going to be a firefighter, watching you go through every obstacle and every up and down… it’s not easy. And I watched it all and you persevered and you’re such a bad-ass. And I love her so much.’
DailyMailTV brought the two women together to run drills at Stephanie’s firehouse, LAFD Station 38 in Wilmington, Southern California.
Stephanie’s crew watched on as she showed Danielle some of the skills of a working fire-fighter.
The two sisters, who could easily be mistaken for twins, looked the part dressed in full operational Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or Bunker Gear.
Stephanie, 32, was wearing standard issue LAFD equipment while younger sister Danielle, 29, wore her Station 19 gear from the show.
Danielle reveals her first call after landing the role on the show, which premiered in March, was to Stephanie.
‘She did not believe I was playing a firefighter,’ says Danielle.
The actress says she even tried to make her sister guess what the job was at first.
‘She just couldn’t get it, so I was like, what do you do for a living?
‘She was like no, are you serious?’
Sisters: Danielle says the first person she called when she landed role was her Stephanie, who could not believe her sister would be playing a firefighter
Growing up: The two blondes are only three years apart, and Danielle says her role in the show has brought them closer together
Where’s the fire? The two sisters, who could easily be mistaken for twins, looked the part dressed in full operational Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or Bunker Gear
As part of the preparation for the show Danielle was even trained at the same LAFD facility that Stephanie was trained at, which the sisters say was ‘surreal’.
The actress says she didn’t dare mention to show producers that her sister was a firefighter during her audition – figuring it was her acting talent and not real world connections that would get her the role.
And it wasn’t until she was on set that she spoke up.
‘I think it drove people crazy during the first episode that I kept calling Stephanie and asking her script questions,’ she said.
‘Then going to set and saying my sister said that wouldn’t happen in real-life. They’d be like, okay, this is TV.’
Danielle says she flooded her sister with questions about the job during long late night calls.
‘It started off with technical things, what do I need to be on top of it? What would I have on me? We talked about carabiners, having your flashlight, having your gloves on and your hood.
‘And then things like how to wear my hair… how do you wear your hair under your helmet?’
Stephanie added: ‘It was actually a lot of fun and it definitely brought us, I feel like, a lot closer together.
‘She’s doing awesome, I think the show does a very good at portraying firefighting in general.’
Danielle says the Station 19 cast realize they can’t be 100% accurate to real-life firefighters the whole time, instead they try to find the ‘middle-ground’.
Stephanie, 32, was wearing standard issue LAFD equipment (right) while younger sister Danielle, 29, wore her Station 19 gear from the show (left)
Stephanie – a working firefighter for three years – reveals she is occasionally drafted in as her sister’s stunt double on the show
DailyMailTV brought the two women together to run drills at Stephanie’s firehouse, LAFD Station 38 in Wilmington, Southern California
‘We try our best, we all take pride in it. You’re still respecting a real life superhero, my sister is a superhero. Still respecting her occupation and their job and while also keeping it entertaining and exciting for the viewers.’
Stephanie – a working firefighter for three years – reveals she is occasionally drafted in as her sister’s stunt double on the show.
She steps on set during chaotic fire scenes and says Danielle and the rest of the cast do a great job in making it seem realistic.
‘I’ve watched it, it’s actually a great show. It’s intriguing, it’s great fun,’ she says.
‘They did a really good job in capturing the audience and having that drama aspect of the show as well as really respecting our profession and really portraying what we do.’
Stephanie says Danielle has been hugely supportive during her career through the years of intensive training and through her probation period.
And both women agree that it’s important, whether you are a real-life firefighter or an actress playing one on TV, to be a role model for young girls growing up.
Danielle says there’s three female firefighters in Station 19 which in the real world is very rare to have that so many women in one firehouse.
Stephanie says the show can only encourage more young girls to sign up.
‘For our department, LAFD, we want to be a very diverse department, basically we want to have the opportunity to serve our community with a diverse workforce.
‘And so we’re really, as far as recruitment is concerned, we’re really pushing that element of diversity and having more females on the job. That’s a huge thing for us right now.
ABC’s Station 19, which premiered last month, is based on the high octane drama associated with the crew of a busy Seattle firehouse
Danielle admitted to flooding Stephanie with questions about the job during long late night calls during the first season
TV credits: Savre also had a role on NBC’s hit show Heroes, alongide Hayden Panettiere (pictured)
‘So having three female firefighters on the show, I think is a great stepping stone for us in the workforce.’
Danielle added: ‘It is such a responsibility, we have little girls coming up to us now saying they want to be firefighters, that is so amazing.’
Danielle, who grew up watching firefighter movie Backdraft with her sister in Simi Valley, California, says her and Stephanie can inspire young girls to take up the job.
Last year Danielle joined Stephanie in Panorama City, California to take part in the annual LAFD Girls Camp.
The camp, aimed at teenage girls between 14-18, is intended to show young people what it takes to be a firefighter.
It offers a two day hands-on weekend program taught by female firefighters and cadets.
‘I loved it it was such a great experience,’ Danielle says.
Stephanie says having different genders, backgrounds and different experiences when fighting fires can be invaluable.
‘It’s about problem solving, everyone can bring their different experiences into it and be able to treat patients in the best possible way,’ she explains.
Her superior, Kristina Kepner, Battalion Chief for the LAFD agrees.
Chief Kepner oversees the firefighter recruitment section as well as the department’s youth programs and says the LAFD is currently on a recruitment drive to hire more firefighters, male and female.
She told DailyMailTV: ‘Right now we are hiring up until June 29 and we are looking for some strong, dedicated women and men to become Los Angeles City firefighters.’
Chief Kepner said there’s approximately 3.2% of women on the job at present, a figure the department plans to increase.
‘It’s really our to increase diversity across the board,’ she said.
‘The fire chief has put out a strategic plan that incorporates increasing diversity so that we can better serve the communities that we’re in.
‘And so we’re really making a push now to hire more women, let them know this is an opportunity.’
On why budding female firefighters would want the job, she added:
‘Not only do you get to help your community, it’s rewarding, it’s a job that you have to be physically fit at. It’s a lot of teamwork. You’re outdoors, you’re not sitting behind a desk, and not only that, but the benefits that you get, you’re able to support your family as well as getting a pension when you retire.’
