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What happens when you screen a Hollywood firefighting blockbuster for actual firefighters? You get the most entertaining and most brutally honest episode of Too Old or Movie Gold yet.

Hosts Olin VanderLeen and David Purcell of the Comox Valley invited a special all-firefighter panel to weigh in on Ron Howard’s 1991 action classic, Backdraft: volunteer firefighter Michael, and sibling duo Caitlin and Trevor Holme of the Nanoose Bay Fire Department who come from a three-generation firefighting family, just like the brothers in the film.

The verdict? The fire scenes are genuinely extraordinary. The firefighting? A glorious dumpster fire of Hollywood exaggeration. The panel hilariously dissected everything from heroes running into burning buildings without masks or hoses, to cowboy-style solo antics that would end careers today. As Michael put it, it was “almost a movie of how to not do anything correct.”

But it’s not all laughs at Hollywood’s expense. The group digs into what the film does beautifully - Donald Sutherland’s scene-stealing performance, fascinating behind-the-scenes production details (including a fireproof camera operator who literally walked through real flames), and how the movie treats fire itself as a living, breathing character.

Backdraft earned $152 million on a $40 million budget and holds a 72% Rotten Tomatoes critic score. But does it still hold up in 2026? Two Gen Xers who loved it, two Gen Z firefighter siblings watching it fresh, and a crew of people who actually fight fires for a living all weigh in.

“You go in as a team. You’ve got a partner. You do not leave your partner. You go in with them, you come out with them.” - David Purcell

“I thought it was very Hollywood, but you know, I was able to sit through it fairly well, so that says something, I guess.” - Caitlin, Gen Z firefighter

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Why You Should Listen to This Episode

Katie Bergman is a writer and social justice advocate who has devoted a decade to the non-profit sector, specialising in human trafficking interventions. After experiencing trauma and burnout at the frontlines of humanitarian work, she wrote When Justice Just Is to open a conversation about inner wellbeing and social change.

In this episode:

Katie Bergman joins Cindy Thompson on A Resilience Project to share the deeply personal story behind When Justice Just Is - her first book and a call to those doing the hard, often invisible work of helping others.

Over ten years in the non-profit sector, Katie worked with teams around the world - preventing labour exploitation among migrant workers in rural Cambodia, supporting survivors of human trafficking in the US, and protecting at-risk girls from abuse in Bulgaria. It was extraordinary, purposeful work. It was also work that took a toll. A few years in, Katie began to see how individual, systemic, and societal factors were quietly eroding the wellbeing of people in helping roles - including her own.

After her own experience of trauma and burnout at the frontlines, she did what writers do: she wrote about it. When Justice Just Is is a book about self-stewardship for people who give deeply to the world - and a reminder that caring for ourselves is not separate from caring for others. It’s the foundation of it.

The PULSE Community Podcasts can be found at: ThePulseCommunity.ca

Cindy Thompson’s website: cindythompsoncounselling.ca

Learn more about Katie Bergman: whenjusticejustis.com

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