But I digress...where do I start explaining the flaws in this show? The cancer-ridden captain (and father) having the sole authority to pass station command off to his daughter when he becomes too ill to continue? No, wait, let's have her compete with her boyfriend for the promotion while the Battalion Chief referees? The "afternoon delight" between firefighters? The never-ending female empowerment themes ("Can you believe I'm a grrrll and driving this big-ass ladder truck? Yee-ea-ah!!")? The ubiquitous/mandatory gay character (not that there's anything wrong with that,...)?
I could type up a whole dissertation on the differences between East Coast and West Coast firefighting, but I've already done that for my degree and instructional certifications.
Bottom line?
- parents almost NEVER have direct command over their children in a major fire department
- promotions ALWAYS go through the civil service process
- I'm truly surprised the City of Seattle and the Seattle FD are approving the use of their name for this mess (copyright or brand approval denotes tacit support)
- For partial disclosure (I can't disclose my department location, per City and union rules), we DO have female firefighters (both career and volunteer) in our department and one of my lieutenants (and friend, trusted aide, and fellow instructor) is openly gay.
Thank God I'm retiring in 2 years!