As real-life scandals unfold at the New York Fire Department, Hollywood is depicting firemen as everyday heroes, devoted to their families, who risk their lives. The film “Ladder 49” stars John Travolta and will be released in October by Disney’s Touchstone Pictures.

New York firefighters are feeling the double-edged sword of this type of lionization. After September 11, they were heroes. Now, sex scandals, drunk driving arrests, and bloody brawls are making front-page news, and they’re engaged in a tough contract negotiation with the Bloomberg administration.

“After 9/11 they feel we can do no wrong,” said firefighter James Wind, 57, who has served for 22 years.” You’re put on a pedestal, and no one asked for it. It’s almost like revenge. You go up and then they’re going to take you down.”

Despite recent press scrutiny, a glorified image of firefighters abounds. Throughout the city, tourists rush to buy FDNY knock-off T-shirts as souvenirs. President Bush and Governor Schwarzenegger of California reportedly plan to visit New York’s Bravest during next week’s Republican National Convention.

“Ladder 49” stars a ruddy Mr. Travolta as captain of a brotherly firehouse where men spend their time carousing good-naturedly when not battling flames.

“People are always asking me how firefighters run into a burning building, when everyone else is running out,” Mr. Travolta’s, character, Jack, counsels in a weathered tone. “Courage is the answer.”

It’s quite a different scene than that described with recent tabloid reports showcasing firehouses with nicknames such as “Animal House” and “Southern Comfort,” where firehouses seem more like dens of sin.

This week’s unfolding sex scandal – in which a 34-year-old woman alleged having sex with on-duty Bronx firefighters inside “Animal House” – is the latest in a series of embarrassing incidents for the FDNY, including dozens of drunk-driving arrests and a New Year’s eve fight at Staten Island’s “Southern Comfort” that landed one firefighter in the hospital. Three firefighters have been suspended in response to the woman’s allegations. The accuser, who has since checked into a psychological institution, initially claimed to be the victim of gang rape and later said it was consensual sex.

A retired New York firefighter, Dennis Smith, who is an author of histories of the FDNY and was the founding editor of Firehouse magazine, said he does not think the number of infractions has increased. Rather, he said, the press scrutiny has intensified.

“In fact, I know of past situations of every circumstance that have been reported in the newspaper as scandals,” Mr. Smith said, describing the number of incidents as tiny when taken as a percentage of the 15,000-strong force. “The nature of large organizations is that there will be some characters in the firefighter’s personality that are less refined than others.”

Firehouses have an unusually insular culture: 24-hour tours are spent eating, training, and awaiting the next disaster – together. And when the bell rings, the firefighters put their lives on the line.

Reflecting the communal spirit, most firehouses have an identifying nickname that are plays on either geography, such as Bowery Bums and Heart of Midtown, or symbols of courage or speed – like Phoenix and Re Con. The nicknames appear on T-shirts and badges, and they are painted on trucks.

Animal House, Mr. Smith said, is named not for reckless character, but its proximity to the Bronx Zoo. Southern Comfort’s name wasn’t initially for a drinking habit, he said, but because it is the city’s southernmost ladder and a less stressful firehouse, where the incidence of fires is one of the lowest in the city.

Firefighter James Wind said that while “a lot of guys have made bad choices,” it’s not indicative of a department-wide problem. He said the larger challenge for the film will be to capture not firefighter culture, but the nature of fighting fires as a subtle battle against time. Rarely is it battling orange flames and people jumping from windows, but instead thick smoke that chokes and blinds. Mr. Wind said, “A real movie about firefighters would just be smoke, people banging, screaming.”