The Academy

just watched the first episode of the fire fighter recruit show and have mixed emotions.
I have been a volunteer for over 20 years but put in my time early on training and testing for career departments. Something about the hard core aspect (hard corps?) I'm not crazy about. Where is the line between the "qualified" recruit and the "desirable" recruit? At one point towards the end they mention that this class is something like the top 28 of 2800 applicants, yet in that class, more than half can't fill out a simple survey form?
There is a point where brain, not brawn, is more important, and to a degree, where dedication, not brains, is the trait needed. There is an innate skill that is common to all great, and good, firefighters, and it is not neccessarily the ability to follow USMC style training. I enjoyed the episode and look forward to following it this season (but then again, 25 years ago I LOVED the Mark&Brian tv special where the radio personalities in L.A. went through an abbreviated rookie training at an LAFD station) .
I posted this because I saw some comments about the LASO series which is the first two seasons of this FOX reality show - I suspect that with a lot of these shows, the drama and editing may not reflect reality, and I worry that some will see it and believe that is the way it is everywhere - it is not. If it were, and I had seen this show when I was 17, I would never have stepped forward to volunteer, I would already have been convinced I was not worthy. take this show with a grain of salt - enjoy the learning of things you didn't know, enjoy the hint of danger (and I'm sure there will be plenty of dramatization of the simplest of fire fighter activities), but don't believe for a moment that your neighborhood fireman/woman is the tough as nails "professional" this show appears to be about to present to viewers. That said, I admire both the recruits depicted and the reality portrayed (6 years of training endangered by a pulled muscle - that hurts).
And I look forward to watching newbies suffer through the training I did when I was a pup, LOL!

I stumbled upon a few episodes as I was channel surfing a few months ago. When I discovered Hulu, I recognizied the name of the show and decided to watch it. I was immediately hooked and memorized by the reality of what the recruits go through day after day. Although I have always had a sense of respect for law enforcement officers, I now have a new found respect and admiration for them that can't be put into words. The trainers must be hard on the recruits in order to get the best out of each and every one of them.I look forward to Season 3 of The Academy Fire Fighters.Fox TV - JOB WELL DONE!!