This film looks at why fewer people are joining the fire service and what that means for the crews who still show up every day. You see the pressure from retirements, the drop in new applicants and the gaps it leaves on the front line. The story also follows the women in the Berkeley Fire Department who are pushing for representation, running programs, mentoring and building the next generation.

The film spends time with firefighters inside the station and out in the field. You see how they train, how they respond to calls and how they talk about the work. You also see the B-STEP EMT pipeline at Berkeley High, where students get hands-on skills and a real path into the fire service.

I filmed and edited this piece with Kelly Liu. We wanted the story to show the simple truth that fire departments don’t run on equipment alone. They run on people. And right now, those people are carrying more weight with fewer hands.