(DiverWire) Last week, Taylor Kinney, who stars as firefighter Kelly Severide on the hit NBC-TV Series “Chicago Fire”, became a certified scuba diver. The actor portrays a member of the elite rescue squad on the show and is slated to be in the water several times performing rescues as part of the show’s second season.
Kinney’s instructor was PADI Course Director Mark Linse who is affiliated with the well-known Scuba Emporium Career Development Center just outside of Chicago. Linse is a real-life Paramedic Field Chief in Chicago who met Kinney and the rest of the “Chicago Fire” cast last year when the production selected Linse’s station as the main set used to film the production.
According to Linse, the production crew informed Kinney that there were multiple scenes slated for the coming season that would require underwater work. That led Kinney to inquire about enrolling in a full certification program.
“He’s a very good diver,” Linse reveals. “I’m confident that he’ll not only be acting during any potential underwater scenes, but he’ll also be showing off his skills as a certified diver.” In addition to the basic PADI Open Water course that Kinney completed, he was also trained in using a full-face mask underwater that allows for underwater communication.”
This isn’t the first time that Linse and the Scuba Emporium team have been involved with the “Chicago Fire” production. Producers have approached the staff about helping to scout underwater locations and with technical advice on water-related scenes.
Chicago Fire airs Tuesday evenings on the NBC Television Network.
