In making “Into the Fire,” documentary filmmaker Bill Couturié went beyond the hero myth and into the hearts and minds of the fire service.  Through intimate interviews with firefighters from big city engine companies to small-town volunteer fire departments, Couturié sought to answer the question, “Why do they do it?”

Bill Couturié is no stranger to taking on tough subjects. A multiple Emmy and Academy Award®-winning filmmaker, he has produced two previous documentaries about another group of American heroes – the U.S. military. During the filming of "Into the Fire," he discovered the same selfless determination he observed in the soldiers among the firefighters he interviewed.

“I’ve done several films about soldiers and war, and I am constantly amazed that there are people in the world who are willing to put their lives on the line, and potentially make the ultimate sacrifice, for strangers,” Couturié explained. “When the opportunity came along to do a film about the fire service, the parallels were obvious. Here are men and women devoting their lives to keep us safe – no matter what the emergency, no matter where they are called to respond.”

Using the firefighters’ own words to guide the film, Couturié takes the audience through the everyday challenges faced by firefighters in an environment of increasing demands and shrinking resources.

“I wanted to capture a glimpse into what a firefighter’s job is really like – who they are and why they do what they do,” Couturié said. “We ask them to keep us safe. What makes them risk their lives for us when we ask so much of them? Only they can answer that question.”

Despite his research and preparation, making the film was an eye-opening experience for Couturié. Over the course of filming, he met with dozens of fire service personnel across the country, including firefighters from urban, rural and wildfire units. Throughout his travels, he heard a troubling refrain: today’s fire service is expected now, more than ever, to provide more with less. 

“Their job is not to die for us; they shouldn’t have to die for us. What they should have is the resources, the personnel, the training and the equipment they need to do their job and return home safe to their families,” Couturié said. “The men and women of the fire service are not superheroes. They are ordinary men and women who, every once in a while, do something extraordinary for people like us.”