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Fired Up: Drew Graduate Creates Firefighter Documentary
But the life of a firefighter is undoubtedly different from what we generally think -- or would like to think -- it is. The media has always loved to portray firefighting at its most exciting, and we can see why: A photo of a sootblackened fireman carrying a swaddled baby to safety sells more papers than a shot of the same guy scouring out the firehouse restroom. Yes, they're superheroes sometimes, but on most days they're just people doing a job. Since that job is tightly wrapped around the safety of our lives and property, it would be prudent for us to know a bit more about it -- and at the same time, a bit more about the men and women we trust to handle it. William McMeekan Jr. has helped take care of the hard part of this task. A high school teacher by trade, McMeekan spent the better part of the summer of 2001 exploring and filming the daily routine of fire platoon D of the Westfield, N.J., fire department. The final product, Catching Fire: A Day in the Life of Westfield's Bravest, is an engaging documentary that warmly exposes the humanity, dedication, and exceptional professionalism of a typical small-town municipal fire department. After leaving Drew with a degree in psychology and a minor in English literature, McMeekan looked for ways to put his academic training to use while serving a community need. He took a position as counselor for Community Access Unlimited (CAU), a social service organization based in Elizabeth, where he worked with young folks aged 17Ð22, helping them develop daily living skills and providing emotional support. He later became director of team programs for the Westfield YMCA, using his psychology skills and natural creativity to develop youth programs. "It's great working with teenagers, and I thoroughly enjoyed the creative nature of my work," McMeekan recalls, "but that was the kind of job that tended to expand with the effort you put into it." He was working 80-hour weeks and decided it was about time he had a life. Acquiring his teaching certificate, he found a position at Westfield High School teaching video programming and running the school's television studio -- a self-taught skill he began to develop while at CAU. Since video production arts at Westfield High were part of the school's English department, McMeekan was able to teach English literature along with TV production. "It's fun teaching students a discipline they know nothing about," says McMeekan. "Besides, media education is so important these days as we're constantly bombarded with information -- it helps students become better, more discerning viewers. Many become so passionate about media studies that they want to make it their careers. As a teacher, I find that very satisfying." He currently teaches television production and develops programming at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School. The idea for Catching Fire began innocently enough after a casual conversation with a friend's cousin, who happened to be Westfield firefighter John McCormack. McCormack relayed the story of an automobile that wound up parked serenely at the bottom of a local pool. McMeekan began to realize that firefighters lead working lives that are much more dimensional than the stereotypical norms we've been programmed to expect. After obtaining the required blessings, he set out to capture the reality of a small-town fire company. The initial idea was to produce an informative, newsmagazine type piece. He began by researching a little about the equipment used in modern fire- fighting, but soon decided to pick up his video camera and "just start shooting." It was the on-camera interviews with the firefighters that helped McMeekan see something more in his project. "They came across so well on camera," he says, "so natural and unassuming that I started to envision a more substantial work, a kind of '24 hours in the life of' sort of thing." McMeekan found that Westfield firefighters work one 24-hour shift every three days; eating meals, sleeping, and working together, much like a family. Each day on the job is shaped by the emergency calls that come in and the standard yet essential chores that must be performed, like maintaining equipment, training, and keeping house. McMeekan's challenge was to capture the fluid essence of a regular shift. "There are no 'typical' days at a fire station," he explains. "Most of the calls received are what might be termed "service' calls like lockouts, minor flooding, or medical assistance. You quickly realize that firefighters are constantly performing necessary community services, whether it involves a fire or not." His four months of taping actual events and support footage included 17 nights spent with fire platoon D. During that time, the team responded to several fires but no genuine conflagrations, obviously a good thing for the residents of Westfield. "In truth, how many big fires does a small-town fire department handle?" he smiles. "I think it was fortunate not encountering a major fire during filming; it would have seemed stereotypical and detracted from the deeper nature of the work. What these dedicated people accomplish quietly on a daily basis is compelling in itself." Viewers agree. Catching Fire has been honored with a Telly Award, rating among the nation's best noncommercial cable and television productions. It was the winner of the 2002 Hometown Video Festival in the category of Best Government Profile, and won Best Documentary honors at the Digital Visions Film Festival. The one-hour production has also been named an Aegis Award finalist and an official selection of the Back East Picture Show. McMeekan credits the "classic" liberal arts education he received at Drew with preparing him to pursue his professional and personal interests. "I was exposed to so many things: my literature and English courses were invaluable, sociology, art, and theology all complemented my work in psychology -- and what could be more helpful for a documentary filmmaker?" When not addressing a classroom full of students, McMeekan produces local access programming for Union County cable channels; his productions include sports, concerts, and entertainment shows. In planning stages is another documentary that will examine the methods behind the holiday window displays of New York City's major clothing stores: "The worldwide clothing industry keeps a watchful eye on New York's window displays. Putting those holiday vignettes together involves a remarkable process." He is currently seeking financial backing for the project. This past summer, McMeekan brought his cameras to the Drew campus as director of photography for an independently produced spy thriller called As Cool As Jennifer. Drew served as the unnamed university attended by the film's female lead. He also worked as an extra on the set of the Touchstone Pictures film Ladder 49, which is scheduled for release in February 2004; he played a firefighter in two scenes shot in Baltimore. McMeekan enjoyed meeting and working with the film's stars, including John Travolta, who actually attended a firefighters course to better capture his role. Though his professional schedule keeps him quite busy, McMeekan has found time to become a volunteer firefighter himself and now serves the Mountainside and New Providence fire districts. "When the alarm would sound on those nights I was filming at the fire station, I would jump up and get ready just like the firefighters. After a while, I felt the need to help rather than just observe." |
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There's a universal charm about fire-fighting, an intrigue about the firehouses and the people who work there; a fascination about the attire, vehicles, and all that impressive equipment. Ever since crude pumper wagons were pulled along by horse power, kids grew up harboring the dream of wearing that special hat as they race off to glory. They still do, of course -- it's a special rite of youth that's immune to the influences of time or cultural evolution.