A Docu-Drama in HD

A film by Lou Angeli

Logline: Even the best of intentions sometimes go awry, and the once revered volunteer fire-rescue system, founded by Ben Franklin himself, is quickly faltering and is in desperate need of a major overhaul.

Synopsis: Unless you live in a large urban area, or highly populated suburban community, chances are that you, your family and possessions are protected by volunteer firefighters and rescue personnel. In fact, current statistics show that of this nation’s 1,000,000 firefighters and EMT’s*, fully 80% serve in a volunteer capacity, protecting just over 20% of the total US population.

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America’s volunteer Firefighters and EMT’s are extraordinary people…period. Why? That’s simple -- they work at this nation’s most dangerous profession FOR FREE! And you will likely never meet a group of individuals more consumed by an avocation, because theirs is a mission of supreme importance -- to save lives and limit damage to property. They are dedicated to the core and prove it day in and day out by placing their own lives on the line to protect those of others.

And that was the beauty of the volunteer system -- its simplicity. Neighbors helping neighbors during the worst of times. Note the keyword: "worst". The volunteer system was designed to respond to a handful of alarms each month - not dozens each day!

Today, citizens expect to receive the same level of emergency service, no matter where they reside in this great nation. When it’s their turn to dial 9-1-1, they assume that well-trained, adequately equipped emergency responders are on the way.

But during the past decade, Fire-Rescue and EMS, both career and volunteer, have been asked to provide more diversified services to the communities that they protect, and that translates to increased training and more qualified personnel. Although it’s a Godsend for the career sector, it’s a real hardship for many volunteer administrators, who are forced to make yet another demand on their dwindling ranks.

View a video sample of the program (click it)

Cause and Effect

How did America’s Bravest get themselves into this nasty jam? Fire-Safety experts immediately point to two culprits: our rapidly changing lifestyle -- and politics

“The butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker no longer live around the town square", one firefighter advocate recently noted.* “Many people commute great distances to their jobs and they no longer have the time to devote to such noble pursuits." He adds, “There are just too many other demands placed upon them."

As the population shifted from crowded urban areas to more open and pleasant rural communities, volunteer fire administrators hoped to tap into the new-wave suburban melting pot. But the general public showed little interest in a program that asked them to risk their lives for people they didn’t know for free. So, as the population swelled and the infrastructure taxed, the vollies found themselves responding to more alarms and providing much higher levels of service with existing resources and personnel.

Families quickly became accustomed to their split level lifestyle, comfortable with the thought that, like their former home in the big city, local government would respond to their every need. Many assumed that fire-rescue protection would be provided by career staff standing constant vigil behind the closed bay doors of the concrete building across from the Amoco station. And in many cases, that’s what government wanted the citizens to believe. What the locals didn’t know was that the firehouse doors were closed, because there wasn’t anyone at home.

View fire-rescue video clips from the filmmaker

A Change In The Wind

Just twenty-five years ago, the volunteer system thrived on membership rosters bolstered with post WWII baby boomers. It was truly the nation's leading fraternity, with a million and a half members and 33,000 places to call home across the USA.

During the 70's and 80's, the quality of fire-rescue work in the volunteer sector was no longer hit or miss. Volunteer administrators went to great lengths to increase the level of service to the community by assuring that their members were trained to similar levels as their career counterparts. Training schools in Rockland County (NY), Nassau County (NY) and the Delaware State Fire School excelled in such programs, and their curriculum became the benchmark for volunteer training nationwide.

But something happened in the mid 1980's that few had anticipated. As older members (the World War II crowd) dropped away from active service, opting for a well deserved spot in the day room, the next generation of volunteers never fully materialized. The general population had become much more upwardly mobile, and much less interested in volunteer service - especially one with such inherent dangers. And those members who were successfully recruited were usually gone in a few years, rather than a few decades.

Jim Wick, who began his service as a volunteer firefighter on the East coast 38 years ago says, "If the volunteer fire, rescue and EMS service is to survive and thrive in our dynamic and exciting future, it can not settle for the status quo or even incremental change."

Wick, who served as Chair of the Oregon Governor's Fire Service Policy Council, urges fellow volunteer administrators to "Honor...and build on the good from the past, but don't attempt to live there."

North Carolina's Ken Farmer, a chief fire officer and nationally recognized fire-rescue educator, feels that role of the volunteer is simply being redefined. "It can be said that people fall into one of two groups -- givers or takers." Farmer says, “There is no doubt that volunteers are clearly members of the givers group."

He adds that most citizens feel a desire to give back to the community, and that we simply need to direct them to the firehouse. n some ways, Farmer says it is like being saved or finding religion. “We find it most often, not because we are consciously looking for it, but because someone else takes the time and care to show it to us."

Change may also mean knowing "when to say when", and in this film you'll learn about the crucial need for "Immediate Response", specifically how departments are dealing with the dilemma of providing adequate daytime response. In some cases this means introducing career members to the "volunteer" system, a proposal that has purists up at arms, and career proponents chomping at the bit.

Following a timeline which begins in 1970, “Last One Standing” highlights the wide range of emergency services provided by volunteer fire departments, examine problems currently faced by administrators, and explore possible solutions for a system whose ranks are quickly dwindling.

As director, I plan to tell the story through the voices of volunteer administrators, company officers and frontline firefighters themselves. Their insight and commentary will provide viewers with inside information from firehouses nationwide.

“Last One Standing” is one of the few fire-rescue documentaries that specifically deals with the subject of volunteer firefighting, a system developed during the colonial period by Benjamin Franklin himself. The documentary is being filmed in HD and surround sound, and will take about 6 months to produce. Shooting will take place in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Missouri, Illinois and North Carolina. Editing and post production will take place in Wilmington, Delaware.

Lou Angeli
Firefighter/Filmmaker


The Filmmaker on IMDB
The Filmmaker on Wikipedia----

Fire-Rescue Video from Lou Angeli

Technical Specs:

"Last One Standing" is being shot in 16:9 format in High-Definition. Cameras being used ro shoot firefighting and rescue clips are the Canon T2i HDSLR and GoPro HD Hero and Helmetcams. Interviews for the film are being recorded on Panasonic's AG-HMC150 ®. The documentary will be released in surround sound, with the multi-layered track being recorded during post-production from location 4 track audio.

Resources:

-- December 7, 2008 Investigative Report: When Every Second Counts, Wilmington News Journal series
-- August 18, 2008 Investigative Report: Always On-Call, Volunteer Numbers Dwindle, Edmonton, Alberta Journal--
--November 28, 2007 Special Report: Texas Volunteers Dwindle in Fast-Growing Cities. Dallas Morning News

--October 2006 UPDATE: Volunteer Fire Departments in Bucks County, Pennsylvania urged to merge to hasten response times and provide better service. The Intelligencer

--November 2005 Special Report: Long Island's volunteer departments provide a small-town service -- at big-city prices. Newsday

--November 2005 Special Report: Number of volunteer firefighters is declining. USA Today