Cooking up a pilot: Greenwich firefighter creates idea for food related television show

By Debra Friedman, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/08/2008 02:31:23 AM EST

Adrian Correia gets his camera ready to roll as firefighter Guy Fortt prepares for his role as host of a TV pilot being shot at the Central Greenwich firehouse. (Bob Luckey Jr./Staff photo)

When firefighters aren't battling blazes, they're serving up sizzling meals in the fire house kitchen. That's the subject of a new television pilot created by Greenwich firefighter Guy Fortt and award-winning director Martha Pinson.

"A firehouse, to a certain extent, runs on its stomach," said Fortt, who explained how firefighters cannot leave during their 24 hour shifts, forcing them to rely on their own cooking supplies and talents.

About four months ago, Fortt said he was sitting around the fire house watching his peers pool together funds to cook up a meal when he realized that it might make an interesting television program.

The idea of the reality television show called, "Rescue Meal" is for Fortt to travel to different fire houses around the country to see what kinds of special meals firefighters cook for each other as well as to explore what life as a firefighter is like.

Fortt, a career firefighter and emergency medical technician for many years, is also an accomplished actor appearing in, "The Color Purple on Broadway" and television shows including, "The Sopranos" and "All My Children."

"Combing my acting ability and what I do here at the firehouse, I came up with Rescue Meal," said Fortt, who contacted Pinson about the show to see if she would be interested. Fortt and Pinson worked together on a short film six years ago, Fortt said.

"I thought it was a great idea. Everyone loves firefighters," said Pinson. "They have this whole life here and they have to eat, so the cooking is a big part of it."

On Friday, Pinson, Fortt and a production crew made up of graduates of a state-sponsored film industry training program set up shop at Greenwich Central Station to shoot the pilot for the series, in the hopes that a network will pick it up.

Firefighter Shawn Morris was preparing to be featured as the chef on the show, cooking a meal of bruschetta, chicken scampi with pasta and parmesan broccoli, followed by an Oreo ball ice cream dessert.

"We are here for 24 hours and we eat all our meals here," said Morris.

"We usually rotate, but I tend to do more cooking," said Morris, who noted that he enjoyed the task, particularly because it precludes him from having to clean up.

"I think its a good idea and people can see that what we do here is not all that different from what they do at home," said Morris.

The film crew was on hand for seven hours Friday hoping to get candid shots of life at the fire house including any calls that came in that firefighters had to respond to. In addition to cooking, the film crew was filming interviews with firefighters.

The program is expected to fit into a half-hour time slot and Fortt and Pinson said they will pitch the idea to channels like the Food Network.