When Ace (Josh Duhamel), a cocky young firefighter, defies his orders and recklessly attempts a solo mission, it results in the tragic death of Colonel (Tom Skerritt), who was forced to rescue Ace when the flames burst out of control. Crushed by guilt, Ace abandons his dream and quits the fire brigade along with Fred (Rob Schneider), his trusty co-pilot. Ace resigns himself to the dreary fate of hauling coal until one day...a fire breaks out at the mines and he is forced to overcome his fears of failure, and become the hero he was destined to be.