The subtle details of the Chicago fire make the show completely unrealistic
Since its debut in 2012, producer Dick Wolf’s action movie “Chicago Fire” has attracted millions of passionate fans every week with its seemingly realistic depiction of people responding first worked at Firehouse 51 of the Windy City. in Wolf’s procedural series “One Chicago” for NBC, which eventually spawned two equally successful sister shows, with “Chicago P.D.” debuted in 2014 and “Chicago Med” followed a year later. Delivering sizzling ratings in its usual Wednesday night primetime slot, the series continues to be one of the hottest on network television (according to One Chicago Center).
Presented as an authentic, authoritative portrait of the risky lives, on-duty, and off-duty personal challenges of brave firefighters and paramedics, the truth is “Chicago Fire” doesn’t always keep every aspect of the series completely reality-based. In this regard, a subtle detail about a vital piece of fire department equipment seems completely unrealistic, at least in the opinion of some veteran real-world firefighters.
The breathing apparatus used in the Chicago fire was not genuine
When firefighters rush into a building filled with smoke and flames, one of the most indispensable pieces of equipment they carry is a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, or SCBA. And, as noted on MyFireFighterNation.com, one of the most popular brands of SCBA is the Scott Air-Pack gear, which may be why it appears to be the gear used in “Chicago Fire”. But as several veteran firefighters pointed out when commenting in a Firehouse.com Firefighters Forum discussion titled “TV Show Chicago Fire,” the Scott Air-Pak as configured on the show There are some serious problems.
The poster on the FyredUp forum wondered, “So [sic] what are those funny face pieces on the Scott mask…Those are NOT standard masks. The adjusters don’t lie flat like that on the bottom of mask… Is this a standard mask? a new mask I’ve never seen before or something specifically designed for the movie so you can see the actor’s face?” Forum member Chenzo agrees that something is wrong with SCBA, saying, “At least I’m not the only one wondering what the hell is going on with those face pieces.” The FWDbuff poster tried to be a little more charitable on the matter, writing, “…understand that this is a television show made for entertainment purposes by Hollywood studio types…” And while producer Wolf would certainly agree with that latter statement in terms of entertainment value, this is a subtle but important detail in “Chicago Fire” that makes the movie unrealistic – to say the least. for viewers it seemed like they had experience rushing into real flaming buildings.
