Inside: On the Set with Ladder 49
BALTIMORE -- A long black limo pulls up in front of the movie set of Ladder 49. Who is in there? Is it John or Joaquin? Not exactly, but the two men cruising in style are VIP's ... Firehouse.com VIPs.
Chief Robert Apodaca and his brother Patrick, the grand prizewinners in Firehouse.Com's "Ladder 49" VIP Extra Contest, arrived from their hometown of Winkleman, Arizona on Wednesday, June 4. On their first trip to the East Coast, the firefighting brothers were picked up in a black limo at Baltimore Washington International Airport and taken into the city of Baltimore, a city that has become home to "Ladder 49."
"We're really excited," said Bobby, as the chief likes to be called. "I've never won anything in my life." What Bobby and his brother won was three days of VIP treatment and an all-access pass to everything "Ladder 49."
The first stop was the production office where the Associate Art Director, Hugo Santiago, took the guys on a tour, which included visiting a replica of Jack's (Phoenix) house. Bobby and Patrick used up two whole rolls of film on the first set they visited, taking pictures on the front porch and even in the bedroom.
At the hotel, they met Tim Guinee, one of the actors in the movie, in the lobby. The actor posed with the two real-life firefighters and told them he would see them on the set. They did in fact see him later on set, only after they checked into their luxurious room and sat down to a big seafood and steak dinner. They were very important people after all.
The VIP's arrived at the next set, a big fire scene involving some of the biggest stars in the film that comes later in the movie (don't want to give too much away). Fire trucks and ambulances filled the set, as did tons of crew running around to make sure everything was ready for the rehearsal and then the actual shot. Among all the activity, many of the film's stars could be found and Bobby and Patrick found them.
From the sidelines, the two watched the building go up in flames, all while the fire chief (a stand in for John Travolta at first and then Travolta himself) speeds into the scene as the water hits the flames. The guys are having a great time observing men and women doing what they get to do every once and awhile at Winkleman Volunteer Fire Department where Chief Apodaca heads a 12-man staff.
"That smells familiar," said Patrick referring to the sent of burning building-now-put-out. The guys were close enough to the action that they could actually feel the heat coming from the building, as well as the spray from the water.
Before Bobby and Patrick left the set that night, they had their pictures taken with film stars Jay Hernadez and Balthazar Getty, as well as the First Lady of Baltimore, Gov. Ehrlich's wife, Kendel Ehrlich. "I'm having a blast," said Bobby.
The ride was not over for Bobby and Patrick. After the two spent their second day, the first full sunny day Maryland has seen for a long time, getting acquainted with Baltimore and the harbor, they were picked up by the limo and taken on a tour of Gorsuch Street fire station.
The historic station, revamped to look like an active department in the film, had everything, including a kitchen full of goodies and "tasteful" posters of women. The firefighters took pictures with and of just about everything in the station and even got shots of themselves on the fire poles and in front of Loony's Pub, another location for the film.
Next on the list was what the two Arizona born brothers were waiting for. They were on their way to become stars. Okay, they were on their way to become extras, but no doubt they are stars to the other 9,000 firefighters who entered the contest. Bobby and Patrick arrived on set and went into wardrobe were they were fitted for their clothing. The two wore open shirts over t-shirts, along with white hard hats and slung over their shoulders were none other than tool belts. They were firefighters turned dockworkers.
The scene being shot was Travolta's last of the week and the set was cleared of non essential crew after a few hours late Thursday, but not before Bobby and Patrick were shot as background extras as Travolta gave directions to arriving crews at the 'blaze'. Hopefully, those shots won't make the cutting room floor ... or at least the deleted scenes on the DVD.
Later that night, the two decided to hit some bars and try out Baltimore nightlife. "I guess we gotta find a club now," joked Patrick.
Hopefully the VIP's didn't party too long. The limo came back to pick them up on their last day on the East Coast at nine am. They were off for another tour, but not of another movie set, but of the nation's capital. Staff from the office of Michigan Congressman Nick Smith took them on the tour, which was arranged through the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI). As they were leaving the Capitol, Bobby and Patrick ran into the city's top cop, District Police Chief Charles Ramsey. The chief posed for pictures with the brothers before they were off to see Union Station and the White House.
By the time the Apodaca brothers were on their way back to a family full of firefighters, they had used tons of film and seen lots of sights. One thing that was certain throughout their VIP filled few days was excitement. "It's all very exciting," said Bobby.
The contest was sponsored by fire/EMS service industry companies Microflex (www.microflex.com), Emergency Services Insurance Programs (www.esip.com), Firecom (www.firecom.com), TNT Rescue (www.tntrescue.com), and Sutphen Corp. (www.sutphen.com).
