Code Red (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Code Red is an American television series that ran from 1981 to 1982 on ABC
and was produced by Irwin Allen
. This was Allen's sixth and final television series.
The series starred Lorne Greene
as Battalion Fire Chief
Joe Rorchek and his family, some of whom, his elder sons Ted (Andrew Stevens
) and Chris (Sam J. Jones
), serve as firemen under his direct command as part of the Los Angeles Fire Department
. In addition, Haley Green (Martina Deignan
), 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
) serves as a member of the Firefighter Explorers
organization, complete with his own uniform and turnout gear. 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
), 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
as Joe Rorchek as an arson investigator who is pursuing a dangerous arsonist who uses firebomb
s 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). When the series was approved for production, Greene's character was reassigned to command LAFD Station 49, 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
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
where a cast member addresses the audience about fire safety
, fire prevention
, and first aid
.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and was produced by Irwin Allen
Irwin Allen
Irwin Allen was a television and film director and producer nicknamed "The Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genre. He was also notable for creating a number of television series.- Biography :...
. This was Allen's sixth and final television series.
The series starred Lorne Greene
Lorne Greene
Lorne Greene , was the stage name of Lyon Himan Green, OC, a Canadian actor.His television roles include Ben Cartwright on the western Bonanza, and Commander Adama in the science fiction movie and subsequent TV Series Battlestar Galactica...
as Battalion Fire Chief
Fire chief
Fire Chief is a top executive rank or commanding officer in a fire department, either elected or appointed...
Joe Rorchek and his family, some of whom, his elder sons Ted (Andrew Stevens
Andrew Stevens
Andrew Stevens is an American executive, film producer, director and former actor.-Early life:Andrew Stevens was born Herman Andrew Stephens in Memphis, Tennessee...
) and Chris (Sam J. Jones
Sam J. Jones
Sam J. Jones is the stage name of Samuel Gerald Jones , an American actor also credited as Sam Jones.-Early life:Jones was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida.-Career:...
), serve as firemen under his direct command as part of the Los Angeles Fire Department
Los Angeles Fire Department
The Los Angeles Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles....
. In addition, Haley Green (Martina Deignan
Martina Deignan
Martina Deignan is an American actress most notably recognized for her role as Jackie Parks on NBC's soap opera Santa Barbara. She portrayed the role from January to May 1985. Prior to joining the show, Martina had a starring role as the fifth Dr...
), 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
Adam Rich is an American actor.-Career:Rich is most remembered for his role as the youngest son, Nicholas Bradford, on the television series Eight is Enough, which ran for five seasons, from 1977-1981. After leaving that show, he made guest appearances on The Love Boat, CHiPS, Fantasy Island, The...
) serves as a member of the Firefighter Explorers
Fire Service Exploring
Fire Service Exploring is one of the career-oriented programs offered by Learning for Life, a branch of the Boy Scouts of America....
organization, complete with his own uniform and turnout gear. 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
Julie Adams is an American film and television actress, sometimes credited as Julia Adams or Betty Adams.-Life and career:...
), 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
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
as Joe Rorchek as an arson investigator who is pursuing a dangerous arsonist who uses firebomb
Firebomb
Firebomb may refer to:* Firebombing* Incendiary device* Molotov cocktail* A season 2 episode of the television show Alias* "Fire Bomb", a song by Rihanna from her 2009 album Rated R...
s 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). When the series was approved for production, Greene's character was reassigned to command LAFD Station 49, 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
Fireboat
A fireboat is a specialized watercraft and 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 equipment....
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
Epilogue
An epilogue, epilog or afterword is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work...
where a cast member addresses the audience about fire safety
Fire safety
Fire safety refers to precautions that are taken to prevent or reduce the likelihood of a fire that may result in death, injury, or property damage, alert those in a structure to the presence of a fire in the event one occurs, better enable those threatened by a fire to survive, or to reduce the...
, fire prevention
Fire prevention
Fire Prevention is a function of many fire departments. The goal of fire prevention is to educate the public to take precautions to prevent fires, and be educated about surviving them. It is a proactive method of reducing emergencies and the damage caused by them. Many fire departments have a Fire...
, and first aid
First aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
.