''Code Red'' is an American

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

television series that ran on ABC from November 1, 1981, to September 12, 1982 and was produced by

Irwin Allen Irwin Allen (born Irwin O. Cohen, June 12, 1916 – November 2, 1991) was an American film and television producer and director, known for his work in science fiction, then later as the "Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genr ...

. This was Allen's sixth and final television series, and his only series not produced for

20th Century Fox Television 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century-Fox Television, and TCF Television Productions, Inc.) is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Co ...

Overview

The series stars

Lorne Greene Lorne Hyman Greene (born Lyon Himan Green; 12 February 1915 – 11 September 1987) was a Canadian actor, musician, singer and radio personality. His notable television roles include Ben Cartwright on the Western ''Bonanza'' and Commander Ad ...

as Battalion Fire Chief Joe Rorchek and his family, some of whom, his elder sons Ted (

Andrew Stevens Herman Andrew Stevens (born June 10, 1955) is an American executive, film producer, director and actor. Early life Stevens was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the only child of actress Stella Stevens and her former husband Noble Herman Stephens. C ...

) and Chris (

Sam J. Jones Samuel Gerald Jones (born August 12, 1954), known professionally as Sam J. Jones, is an American actor and former football player. He is known for playing the title character in the 1980 film ''Flash Gordon'' and for starring in the short-lived ...

), serve as firemen under his direct command as part of the

Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides emergency medical services, Fire investigation, fire cause determination, fire prevention, Firefighting, fire suppression, Dangerous goods, hazardous materials mitigation, and Resc ...

. In addition, Haley Green (

Martina Deignan Martina Deignan is an American actress. She played Jackie Parks on NBC's soap opera '' Santa Barbara'' from January to May 1985. Career Prior to joining '' Santa Barbara'', Martina had a starring role as the fifth Dr. Annie Stewart Ward on '' ...

), the first female firefighter in the LAFD, is under Rorchek's command and serves with distinction both professionally and as a friend of the Rorcheks. In addition, Joe Rorchek's preteen adopted son, Danny Blake (

Adam Rich Adam Rich (October 12, 1968 – January 7, 2023) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Nicholas Bradford, the youngest son on the television series ''Eight Is Enough'', which ran for five seasons (1977–1981). A di ...

) serves as a member of the Firefighter Explorers organization, complete with his own uniform and

turnout gear Firefighters in Chicago wearing rubber three-quarter boots and jacket Firefighters in Montreal in full turnout gear during a fire Bunker gear (also known as turnout gear, fire kit and incident gear) is the personal protective equipment (PPE) ...

. Although still a child, Danny dreams of joining the family profession and enjoys privileged access to his family's professional activities. As a result, he has numerous adventures of his own armed with a cool head in the face of crisis and considerable fire safety and first aid skills for his age. Despite the danger, the male members of the Rorchek family have the full support of Ann Rorchek (

Julie Adams Julie Adams (born Betty May Adams; October 17, 1926 – February 3, 2019) was an American actress, billed as Julia Adams toward the beginning of her career, primarily known for her numerous television guest roles. She starred in a number of ...

), Joe's wife, who is proud of her family's calling. In addition to family drama, the characters have numerous adventures with the various fires and other emergencies that happen in their operating area. The series began with a

television movie 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 ...

as Joe Rorchek as an

arson investigator Fire investigation, sometimes referred to as origin and cause investigation, is the analysis of fire-related incidents. After firefighters extinguish a fire, an investigation is launched to determine the origin and cause of the fire or explosion ...

who is pursuing a dangerous

arsonist Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, water ...

who uses firebombs to start serious blazes that Rorchek's sons have to fight. Meanwhile, Green, recently assigned to the Rorcheks' unit, strives to prove herself to skeptical fire fighter Al Martelli (

Jack Lindine Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...

). When the series was approved for production, Greene's character was reassigned to command the task force "Station 1" (in actuality, the real LAFD Station 49, which was used for establishing and exterior shots during the show's production), located on the city's waterfront as a more suitable premise for the series. The station is a large one, equipped with not only a varied ground fleet of vehicles including a personal car for Chief Rorchek, but also a helicopter piloted by Chris Rorchek and a

fireboat A fireboat or fire-float is a specialized watercraft with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with firefighting equipme ...

moored at a dock built into the station. Given that the series was scheduled for early Sunday evening for a family audience, many episodes end with a

coda Coda or CODA may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * Movie coda, a post-credits scene * ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television *''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...

where a cast member addresses the audience about

fire safety Fire safety is the set of practices intended to reduce the destruction caused by fire. Fire safety measures include those that are intended to prevent the ignition of an uncontrolled fire and those that are used to limit the development and eff ...

and

first aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial i ...

Episode list

References

External links

*
The Irwin Allen News Network's ''Code Red ''web pages
{{Irwin Allen 1981 American television series debuts 1982 American television series endings Films directed by J. Lee Thompson American Broadcasting Company original programming Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television series by Irwin Allen Television Productions 1980s American drama television series English-language television shows Television shows set in Los Angeles Television series about firefighting