Fire Country has become a massive hit, pulling in millions of viewers weekly with its blend of heart-pounding firefighting action, intense family drama, and the gripping redemption story of Bode Donovan (Max Thieriot). The show is a weekly adrenaline rush, fueled by massive wildfires and even bigger emotional stakes.

But let’s be honest: while we’re glued to the screen, a few things occasionally stretch the bounds of reality—or even internal logic—to their absolute limit. We love the show, we’re rooting for Bode, and we’re fully invested in the Leone family drama, but if we’re being critical, there are some aspects of the Cal Fire experience in Edgewater that require a serious suspension of disbelief.

Here are 7 things we love about Fire Country, but that, upon closer inspection, just don’t make much sense.

1. Bode Donovan’s Perpetual Freedom of Movement

The central premise of Fire Country is that Bode is an incarcerated man working with the Three Rock Conservation Camp program. Yet, he seems to have the freedom of a character on parole, not one serving time.

In almost every episode, Bode is not just fighting fires; he’s involved in personal crises that take him far from the typical constraints of the Three Rock camp. He’s regularly on extended leave for medical emergencies, involved in intense private conversations with his family, and even running into conflict with local law enforcement—all while still being an inmate. The real-life inmate firefighting program is highly regulated, and the constant, unfettered access to the outside world—and family—that Bode enjoys is a dramatic liberty the show takes to keep its main character in the heart of the action. The reality of a conservation camp is far more restrictive.