Stephen McCaffrey

Grew Up… in a loving family with his parents and brother, Brian. But then the unthinkable happened: his father, a brave firefighter, sacrificed his life on the job.His brother Brian saw everything happen and has never quite been the same.

Living… the life of a bachelor in Chicago after his wife, Helen, left him. He’s living in an old boat that never leaves the dock.

Profession… a firefighter. He always looked up to his dad, and he decided to go into the same line of work. But it hasn’t been easy at the station lately. One of the city’s alderman, Martin Swayzak, has ambitions of becoming mayor and has instituted deep budget cuts at the station that could jeopardize lives. And what is even harder for Stephen is that his brother is now working at the station. Stephen doesn’t think that Brian has what it takes to be a firefighter, and they fight constantly.

Relationship Status… devastated. He and his wife Helen are in love, but Helen left him and took their son Sean because she doesn’t agree with the risks Stephen takes at work. Stephen was left alone and desperate at the worst possible time. Things have really changed. He used to be the family hero. Now, he scares them.

Challenge… dealing with life and death every day at his job. As Stephen says, “The only problem is that in this job is there's just no place to hide. It's not like having a bad day selling log cabins. You have a bad day here and somebody dies.” Although his job is dangerous, Stephen doesn’t always take the safety precautions he should. He prefers not to wear a mask and likes to runs barefaced into whatever fire he is assigned.

Personality… courageous, proud, and hotheaded. Stephen knows he is one of the best firefighters around and lets others know it. He doesn’t listen as much as he should, which frustrates his superiors and taken a toll on his marriage. But he is also a man who is deeply committed to helping others.