NBC's "Trauma" offers a fictional take on first responders.
Tonight at 10, BET debuts "First In," a reality series that follows the lives of firefighters and paramedics in Compton.
The half-hour, 10-episode series is narrated and produced by Tyrese Gibson, the singer/actor/model; he's probably best known now for "Transformers."
If you want to show the heroism of firefighters and paramedics, Compton is a good place to go. In the first episode of "First In," we're told that there are 75 gangs, so there's lots of gun violence. The menacing scenes that N.W.A painted lyrically -- not an exaggeration.
And so the first two episodes are packed with action. Besides a shooting in broad daylight, there are car accidents, a plane crash into a home, a couple of out-of-control druggies.
The men, they're all men, handle things professionally and with compassion. At the center of the story is battalion chief Marcel Melanson, and he's not like any fire chief I've seen. He's only 32, has tattoos sleeves on both arms, and pulls away from his home with his wife and two young sons in a purple low-rider.
So, it would seem, there's some interesting folk featured. But what's missing, at least in the first two episodes, is storytelling. Chief Marcel, for instance, tells us that his work leaves his wife alone a lot and she doesn't always understand why he's helping strangers instead of helping her at home. It would have been nice to see that rather than be told that.
Instead, we go from incident to incident. We learn about their techniques and procedures. It's interesting but not that involving.
I saw a promo for the third episode and there was a flash of something happening that was a little more emotional. It was hard to tell.
Still, it's a worthwhile show, the kind BET critics have been asking for. I'd certainly rather see these noble men go about their work then watch "Frankie and Neffe" yell at each other for an hour.
Assistant Features Editor Adrienne Johnson Martin would like to have her life turned into an animated cartoon. 
