On Fire (W4:D4)

FIREPROOF was fire-full on Thursday. The crew filmed the rest of the house-fire storyline Thursday, including the burning down of an abandoned house on Albany’s 11th Avenue late at the end of the day.

The Albany Fire Department, which has partnered with Sherwood Films during the filming, was thankful to have the opportunity to train some of their firefighters. The cast and crew were thankful they didn’t have to put out the fire!

“Doing training like this is what we love to do; this is want we want to do,” says Ron Rowe, the AFD Training Chief. “We’re thankful to be a part of this. Their need to burn the house for the movie and our need for training makes for a good partnership.”

There has been a sense of partnership since pre-production on the film began. When Sherwood requested the use of older Albany firetrucks that are no longer in use, they were denied ... in a way!

“We’ve been fortunate to have purchased 10 new pumpers in the last five years,” Chief Rowe says. “Our thinking was that if we’re going to show the Albany Fire Department in a movie, we’re going to show our best equipment.”

In fact, the aerial truck you will see in the film was delivered to the AFD the week before filming! When Chief Rowe drove it on 11th Avenue, that was the first time it had been driven by the department!

“People say there are a lot of coincidences with how things have worked out with the fire department in regards to this movie,” Chief Rowe says. “I believe there’s a purpose for everything that’s happening.”

Members of the cast of FIREPROOF arrive on the scene of a fire in a shiny Albany Fire Department pumper.