CHEK to air new docuseries ‘911 stories' featuring B.C. first responders

A new docuseries looking at the lives of first responders – from police officers to firefighters to paramedics and more – will premiere on CHEK later this week. The 15-part docuseries, called 911 Stories , premieres on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 9 p.m. on CHEK and CHEK+ , offering a raw look at the everyday lives and experiences of emergency workers in British Columbia. Each half-hour episode, releasing weekly, will delve into the lives of first responders, from their successes and camaraderie to the and heartbreaks and difficult choices they have to make every day. The stories that are shared range from lighthearted pranks to harrowing experiences and struggles with PTSD. 'It started as a labour-of-love project way back during the pandemic,' says co-director and producer Joseph Boutilier. 'Especially at that time, it felt like there was often a lot of tension and miscommunication between the public and first responders. We saw an opportunity to capture a portrait of this work that was really candid, but also hopefully nuanced,' he says. The show is also dedicated to late Colwood fire chief John Cassidy, who died on duty in 2021. A posthumous interview with Cassidy appears in several episodes. RELATED: Colwood grieves sudden passing of Fire Chief John Cassidy 'There are practical takeaways in the series, but we hope the real impact is heartfelt,' says Mia Golden, a co-director and producer of 911 Stories . Golden also appears in several episodes and speaks on her time as a member of the Mobile Youth Services Team (MYST) in Victoria, working with youth on the streets and as a family councillor, as well as collaborating with local police departments in that role. 'One of the common threads that first responders brought up was, 'we're human,'' says Golden. 'There are a lot of misconceptions about frontline work that hopefully we've been able to tackle in an engaging format.' 911 Stories was produced on Vancouver Island, with support from CHEK.