In case there was any doubt about Vince Leone’s fate, Fire Country laid those doubts to rest in the Season 4 premiere.

Even before the new season premiered, it had been revealed that two cast members would depart, one of them being Billy Burke.

Promotional material leading up to the premiere confirmed this development. Still, if you’re anything like me, you probably hoped this was just a publicity stunt and that when the show returns, everything would be back to normal.

However, Fire Country Season 4 Episode 1, “Goodbye for Now,” leaves no doubt that Vince died in the Bella Vista fire.

The episode contains a funeral sequence, and the storyline is dominated by grief for the most part.

One can’t overstate the importance of a character like Vince.

He is the father figure and quite possibly the least aggravating character on the show. I didn’t realize how much I cared about him until it was revealed that he would be killed off.

For a major development like this, it is vital that the show sticks the landing and hits all the right notes, and I’m afraid Fire Country failed to give Vince a befitting sendoff.

While everyone was furious with 9-1-1‘s decision to kill off Bobby, the show did him justice. Granted that it had the advantage of the element of surprise that Fire Country never did, but they elevated the death.

We followed the events leading up to his death with sharp accuracy, including his sacrifice and the fallout.

We all saw him bravely die like he had lived, dealing an emotional blow not only to the characters but also to the viewers.

With Vince, Fire Country did not even bother. Instead of focusing on Vince’s last minutes and giving him a moment to shine, the premiere focused on everyone else.

We learned of his death via the radio, which did not feel enough.

He was treated like a victim of the fire instead of the Cal Fire force that he was.

I’m not going to be one of those people who throw a tantrum for no reason when a character dies.

I’ve long advocated for 9-1-1 to up its stakes by showing the real dangers of this job instead of treating it like … I don’t know, what the least risky job?

I understand trying to be believable, and I applaud the show’s team for being courageous. However, Vince was not done justice.

The way Vince was treated reminded me of other departures where a character is unceremoniously killed off.  Hello, The Rookie and Jackson West?