''Firefighter'' is a 1986 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by Robert Michael Lewis. The film is based on the true story of Cindy Fralick, the first female firefighter of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.Review summary
The New York Times

Plot

Situated in the early 1980s, the plot focuses on Cindy Fralick, a

parking enforcement officer A parking enforcement officer (PEO),United S ...

who is uninspired by her job. One day, she witnesses the injuries of an accident and decides she wants to help people. She considers applying at the Los Angeles County Fire Department, but feels discouraged because there are no female firefighters in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. She passes the written exams, but the people at the

oral exam The oral exam (also oral test or '; ' in German-speaking nations) is a practice in many schools and disciplines in which an examiner poses questions to the student in spoken form. The student has to answer the question in such a way as to demons ...

s have no confidence she will be strong enough to pass the physical tests. When her husband suddenly files for

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

, she initially changes her mind about her career ambitions, until her best friend Sharon encourages her not to give up. The fire department staff doesn't take her training seriously, but she proves to be one of the best during physical tests. Cindy soon becomes the talk of the town, earning the respect of all her co-trainees. After the training, she becomes the first woman in sixty years to pass the tests. She enters the Academy, but is required to cut her hair short. She is treated horribly and considers dropping out. Her Chief encourages her to allow herself to get used to the military treatment, assuring her it will only take nine weeks. After finally becoming an official firefighter, she gets a lot of media attention. This upsets her because all she wanted was a job, not to be anyone's hero. Her colleagues are initially annoyed by her, because they feel they can't be themselves in the presence of a woman. However, she is soon one of the guys and wins the heart of fellow firefighter Mike. On her first real job, she wins the respect of her bosses by not showing any fear of the fire. She starts going out with Mike, but he soon irritates her. She thinks it's because he isn't romantic enough, but Cindy feels that it's too soon after the divorce for her to be involved with someone. Meanwhile, she decides to become a paramedic, but still has to deal with prejudice. In the end, she saves a heroin addict who overdoses. She decides not to end her relationship with Mike.

Cast

* Nancy McKeon as Cindy Fralick *

Vincent Irizarry Vincent Michael Irizarry (born November 12, 1959) is an American actor. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 1985 and 2002, and won in 2009. Early life and education Irizarry grew up on Long Island, NY and is one of six children. He move ...

as Mike * Barry Corbin as Captain Johnson * Guy Boyd (actor), Guy Boyd as Captain Cauley * Amanda Wyss as Marilyn * Whip Hubley as Lance * James Whitmore, Jr. as Captain Bukowski * Ed Lauter as B.C. Thompson

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0091054, title=Firefighter 1986 television films 1986 films 1986 drama films Drama films based on actual events Films about firefighting CBS network films American drama television films 1980s English-language films Films directed by Robert Michael Lewis 1980s American films