Product Description

An unforgettable journey through the daily lives of the brave men and women who have made saving lives their profession.
Dennis Smith, author of Report from Engine Co. 82, traveled across the country talking to dozens of America’s firefighters to put together this powerful collection of their own descriptions of their most dramatic and intense experiences on the job. Their stories, compiled here, are timeless testimonies to the human capacity for heroism and nobility.
Focusing on the most courageous firefighters, from those who have been decorated for heroism to those who have been seriously injured, Firefighters presents the extraordinarily rich and rugged voices of men and women who fight urban building fires, who battle sweeping forest fires, who perform emergency rescues, and who face extreme danger and risk as part of their everyday lives. Sometimes brave, sometimes funny, sometimes bittersweet or filled with anger, these voices combine to make Firefighters both a riveting adventure drama and a moving chronicle of American heroism at its finest.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22227 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-12
• Released on: 2002-03-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780767913072
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Smith, author of Report from Engine Co. 82 and editor of Firehouse magazine, has interviewed firefighters around the country, professional and volunteer, male and female, in big cities and in small towns, and here reports their observations about their careers. What shines through most consistently is their altruism: they love their work and not the least of the reasons for that affection is the opportunity they have to save lives, or at least to do good. Another strong element is camaraderie: firefighter after firefighter mentions the sense of family that each feels, a feeling almost as strong as that for the biological family. There are accounts of choosing firefighting as a career, the baptism of fire, firehouse life and, in a really harrowing chapter, details of some of the worst blazes. The book is as moving as it is informative. Photos not seen by PW. $75,000 ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap
An unforgettable journey through the daily lives of the brave men and women who have made saving lives their profession.
Dennis Smith, author of Report from Engine Co. 82, traveled across the country talking to dozens of America's firefighters to put together this powerful collection of their own descriptions of their most dramatic and intense experiences on the job. Their stories, compiled here, are timeless testimonies to the human capacity for heroism and nobility.
Focusing on the most courageous firefighters, from those who have been decorated for heroism to those who have been seriously injured, Firefighters presents the extraordinarily rich and rugged voices of men and women who fight urban building fires, who battle sweeping forest fires, who perform emergency rescues, and who face extreme danger and risk as part of their everyday lives. Sometimes brave, sometimes funny, sometimes bittersweet or filled with anger, these voices combine to make Firefighters both a riveting adventure drama and a moving chronicle of American heroism at its finest.

About the Author
Dennis Smith grew up in the tenements of New York's East side. After a stint in the U.S. Air Force, he was appointed to the New York Fire Department. An active firefighter for 18 years, he retired to become the publisher and editor in chief of Firehouse Magazine, a Honorary Deputy Chief of the New York City Fire Department and Chairman of the New York Academy of Art. He has written several books about firemen, four of which have been New York Times bestsellers, including Report from Engine Co. #82, and Firefighting in America. He is also the author of the novels, The Final Fire, Glitter and Ash, and Steely Blue.

Customer Reviews

YOU WILL LAUGH YOU WILL CHOKE BACK TEARS
If your a firefighter you will relate to most of the stories in this book. the author has done an excellent job at putting the word into understandable feelings and did a excellent job in relating to firefighters. If you havnt read this book your missing out on the best one I have read yet.

A Classic In That Fine Oral Tradition
I'm a 27 year-old professional firefighter in a suburb of Detroit. When I was 16 I picked up this book on a whim at the public library and it enveloped me. This book, along with Dennis Smith's classic Report From Engine Co. 82, was the inspiration for me to try to become a fireman. Mr. Smith takes the great anecdotes that every firefighter accumulates and puts them into print just the way they were told, in the fine oral tradition that lives today in every fire hall in the world. Some stories are funny, some sad, some make you wonder why any one anywhere would ever think to take the test.

Whether you're an old brown-shoed leather-lung, or some fresh-faced youngster eyeing this career field for the first time with a furrowed brow, or just someone looking for a book of hair-raising tales from the people who lived it, this book has something in it to give you pause.

Thank you Dennis Smith, from the bottom of my heart. It was you that made all the difference in my life.

Excellent book by firefighters for firefighters!
I'm suprised this book is now out of print. Having read it almost 10 years ago made me go back to the bookshelf and re-read it. This book is an excellent compilation of firefighters from around the country. The stories the firefighters tell are funny, sad, and overall enjoyable. It is written by firefighters for fighters.