''Code Red'' is an American

action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television series that ran on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

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, Inc. (formerly known as TCF Television Productions, Inc., 20th Century-Fox Television and 20th Century Fox Television) is the television studio arm of 20th Century Studios, owned by Disney Television Studios, a division of the Di ...

Overview

The series stars

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

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

Andrew Stevens Andrew Stevens (born Herman Andrew Stephens; 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 ...

) and Chris ( Sam J. Jones), 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 firefighting services and technical rescue services, hazardous materials services, and emergency medical services to the residents of the city of Los Angeles, California, United ...

. 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 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). Know ...

) 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 in her early career, primarily known for her numerous television guest roles. She starred in a number of films in the 1 ...

), 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, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

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 explosi ...

who is pursuing a dangerous

arsonist Arson is the act 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, waterc ...

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 People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, incl ...

). 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 Pyronaut, 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 ...

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 safety is the set of practices intended to reduce destruction caused by fire. Fire safety measures include those that are intended to prevent wikt:ignition, the ignition of an uncontrolled fire and those that are used to limit the spread a ...

and

first aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with a medical emergency, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery until medical services arrive. First aid is gener ...

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 Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television series by Irwin Allen Television Productions 1980s American drama television series American English-language television shows Television shows set in Los Angeles Television series about firefighting American Broadcasting Company television dramas