Synopsis

Germantown, Tennessee, 1970s. Due to the needs of a growing population, the town's fire department begins training local teens to become professional fire fighters - most while in high school, and some as young as 14. Training the boys after school and on weekends, the older, more seasoned veteran fighters help the teens learn the realities of putting their lives on the line for their community. The fire, chief, then the first and only paid staff member, becomes a mentor and a father figure to the boys. He gains the support of The Board of Education, to put high schoolers through extensive training, teaching them to protect property and lives, and deal with witnessing the loss of both as well. It was a coming of age not only of a town but for the young men that protected it. With original footage of events that garnered national exposure, editorial that substantiates what these boys were doing, along with vivid reenactments of fires, the documentary takes the viewers through the journey of the boys, the chief and the growth of the department.