Why Fire Country's Max Theriot Is A Real-Life Hero

On CBS’ “Secret Celebrity Renovation,” celebrities give meaningful people in their lives surprise home makeovers. The series has featured Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Shaquille O’Neal, and J.B. Smoove, among others. For Max Thieriot’s Season 3 episode, he was able to help out a childhood friend while also giving a nod to the firefighter community.

“Josh is a firefighter,” Thieriot explained in the same CBS News segment. “He’s been a firefighter … for probably 20 years.” Josh, he continued, was a full-time firefighter for Cal Fire — otherwise known as the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection — the program that inspired Thieriot to write “Fire Country.”

Josh also worked on helicopters as part of Cal Fire’s helitack unit, which Thieriot described as “the really, really cool, epic unit that everybody wants to be on.” The actor continued, “Unfortunately he got injured [fighting] a wildfire.”

Thierot’s good deed pales in comparison to the heroics of those who extinguish and prevent wildfires, and he joked that his renovation skills met the bare minimum. “I’m handy,” he said, conceding that his finishing work left something to be desired. Still, it’s a productive use of time in between seasons of his show. “Fire Country” was renewed for Season 2 in January.