the tv show was a weekly episodic drama that began on 20 february 1988. paul knight was the show's producer. writers included anita bronson, david humphries, simon sharkey, and tony hoare (writer). directors included gerry poulson, gerry mill, john reardon, keith washington and alan wareing. emergencies, called 'shouts', would not only be fires, but included a range of incidents from cats up trees to major road accidents. each episode ran for 50 minutes (one hour with advertisement breaks). the first series had five episodes. the second and third series each had eight episodes. episodes were mostly filmed at dockhead fire station in bermondsey in london. real firefighters working shifts were extras on the programme. a studio near the station was used for crowded mess scenes. they also used the fire station's actual mess, bay and watchroom throughout the series.