Denis Leary is the only one who has the balls to take on post-9/11 truthfully from the fireman point of view.

- According to Leary the idea for "Rescue Me" began after 9/11 and came from dealing with friends and relatives who worked in the firefighting community. He considered doing a movie until co-producer Peter Tolan came along and convinced him to translate it into a TV show.

- John Scurti (Kenny "Lou" Shea) got his start on the Doctor Dré and Ed Lover movie Who’s the Man? where he met Denis Leary. From there they went on to work together in the greatest holiday movie EVER, The Ref. Scurti has even written a number of the show’s episodes.

- "Rescue Me" is full of old friends. Leary went to Emerson College with Gina Gershon (Valerie) and Tommy’s Uncle is played by Denis’ mentor, Boston comedian Lenny Clarke. Of course Clarke, Adam Ferrara (Chief 'Needles' Nelson), Diane Farr (Laura Miles), and show co-creator Peter Tolan all worked with Leary on his short lived, but amazingly funny ABC TV show, “The Job.”