By FireRescue1 Staff
TACOMA, Wash. — Firefighters know what it’s like to be under scrutiny from an entire community, but not many get the chance to be the focus of a reality video series.
Central Pierce Fire & Rescue firefighters got the chance to appear on camera as producers behind “The Battalion” filmed non-stop for 14 days and nights and on every call, to document life at the department.
CPF&R operates 12 fire stations, all staffed by career personnel and providing fire and EMS services to almost 200,000 citizens in an 84 square mile area.
The department is the first in the Northwest to be filmed by the Web video series, which has travelled to document departments across the country, including San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
“The Battalion Series is about the safety of the first responders and the safety of our country’s citizens,” said David Furtado, founder of the company behind the series, Tule Fog Productions LLC.
“As we always say with the Battalion Series, this series is not just about taming the beast, but it is being there holding a victims hand,” he said. “The Battalion Series is about the job and how difficult it can be when you have to see what they have to see day in and day out.”
The final version of the first episode was published Friday and can be viewed at The Battalion’s website.
 Photo David Furtado The crew of Engine 61 and Medic 61 evaluate a diabetes patient, who they recognized from a previous call. The patient did not want to go to the hospital so the crew stayed with him for almost an hour, giving him liquids and feeding him food until his blood level was at safe levels. |
 Photo David Furtado The crew of engine 66 responds to an auto accident. When the firefighters arrived, they saw a single car had crashed through a chain-link fence. |
 Photo David Furtado Engine 66 and the Battalion Chief from 66 are called for a fire at a local hospital. The firefighters arrived to find first-in crews standing in front of a roll-up commercial door with smoke exiting from the seams. |
 Photo David Furtado Central Pierce Fire & Rescue firefighters worked with a local resident who is a contractor and pilot, forming a deal to use his helicopter when necessary and pay as needed along the way. The Battalion episodes will feature a recent save with footage from a helmet camera, and also includes the department’s first exercise with brush trucks. |
 Photo David Furtado After responding to a call, a lieutenant visits a school to teach students about fire safety, with the help of helmets for the children. A class from the school had visited the station for a tour and were able to watch firefighters leave when Engine 66 got a call. |