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What's Your Favorite Firefighting Book Ever Read?
Just wanting to see what some favorites are: Probie Days-B shifter-1st in last out-and 3000 degrees.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Paul on
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report from ground zero,and last man standing....havent read report from engine company 82...but have heard its good to
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report from ground zero and last man standing,by one of the last fdny officers to make it out of wtc before collapse...havent got to read report from eng co 82 yet
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Permalink Reply by Mike Schlags (Captain Busy) Retd on
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If your talking about fun reading then hands down, it's gotta be Dennis Smith's Report from Engine Company 82. If you talking about a classic read, then Lloyd Laymens firefighting principles are pretty classic.
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Nice and conside run down of books to have in one's library. Thanks for the contribution and effort to document this data. Good stuff !
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Permalink Reply by Tony (buckit) on
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The best by far as far as I am concerned is Report from Engine 82, by Dennis Smith. it came out the yeqr I started in the fire service and I recommened it to all the kids wanting to come on the job.
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Permalink Reply by Mac on
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The best book I ever read was "The Secret of Fire 5" by I believe Jack Olson. I can read it over and over and enjoy it everytime.
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Permalink Reply by josh slagel on
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My favorite book would be probie days its a very good book.
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Permalink Reply by SMOKEnPipesJim on
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Joe Yeah 20,000 alarms By Hamilton was rescue 2 I still have my copy which is of course out of print ( shame) ... One of the stories "Bowline on a bight" like either chapter 1 or quicky #1.... he tells of as a proby on 17 truck he was lowered down a light shaft and rescued a civilian on the floor above the fire, with the fire floor autoextending heating things up.. The Verbal version of the story was told me By Aldo Lena who retired from 17 truck in 1961 or 62... he retired in Southeastern Connecticut and became the local Fire Marshall ... Aldo was a guy who was always asked to sing weddings and other events He was a tenor, but in later years had his voicebox damaged breathing in superheated gasses at one particular fire, To listen to him tell his stories we would have to huddle around to hear him, but he always had a story... He told us about the time his proby "Dickie Hamilton" got his first medal, when the guys lowered him into a building light shaft in a bowline on a bight, he said the shaft was about 12 x 12 and 8 stories deep ( the shaft went below grade 2 stories) he went on to tell how Hamilton was unlike the regular guys if the toughest guy on 17 could go "this far" Dickie could always go that much further.. down that snotty hallway. That generation, of FDNY firefighters had brass balls and 17's south bronx district was heavy industry and heavy 6 bricks (residential) and these guys were doing it in the late 50's and early 60's in the time when the south bronx was just beginning to go to hell.. It was not typical to have SCBA's larger company manning afforded operations to get done being on the knob was cushy since you stuffed your face nearly in the stream to breath the air rushing by around the stream.. a few years later when the book came out I looked and said hmm I wonder if thats aldo's probie? When I bought it and read that story, well, I never put the book down I read it in a single sitting...lol.... for Report from engine co 82, I read the readers digest version in about 2 hours.... when i finally got a copy of the actual book I spent the weekend reading it never put it down either..lol
Leo Stapleton has some good stories and I even liked The Blacken'd Shield
written by a Portland Maine retired LT. Don Whitney about his career in the city, he has a chapter that highlights sme of the characters on the job which is as would be expected but then he highlighted One guy inparticular and how he grew up chasing the fires in the city, It happened i was passing through Portland returning south from vacation time I stopped in an in descript pizza house and while I was relaxing waiting for food, my buddy was talking to the guy beside him at the counter, ( Big dude ) and I heard "he just got hired"/..lol small world , and thought to myself ugh now what.. turns out we were sitting with the cities most decorated Rescue Lieutenant... I'd planned on driving though, after dinner , but since we were invited to take the tour, we found ourselves staying overnight and meeting up in the am, and getting a tour that included breakfast on they're Fireboat... and dinner at the big house... the only thing we didnt do was get into the museum since it was closed for the season on weekends ... but going to Dana's house was nearly as good... he had a photo of his Grandfather with "hisfather"aboard the steamer that hisgreat grandfather drove which was the same engine as he was assigned before getting the rescue.... its always better when reading it and meeting it happens
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Tommy Brennan was real life.... it might not have always shown through in his Random thoughts, But He was even more intense face 2 face... after he retired from FDNY and was chief of Waterbury, Ct. he supported those of us who were involved in our state's 1st pipe band... One year we ran a seminar and asked Tommy to be the "big speaker" he readily agreed and offered his services and time because we were doing several events a year for the guys on his job ... The tickets went, the seminar was a great success and the Band decided to wind down at a favorite local establishment, and later in the evening Chief Brennan was highlighted for his assitance making the seminar a success and it wasnt long before he asked us to play ,.. we did of course, and he was seen with a bar stool over his shoulder , upside down making believe he was playing his own pipes... he was a salt of the earth all around great guy, with his backround and experiance he could ahve done anything, but his random thoughts were his way of staying in touch with our reality...
RIP Chief, Your sorely missed
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how many thousand??
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Permalink Reply by Jessica on
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Fighting fire - By Caroline Paul, I was an explorer when i read this and she was just a huge inspriation to me as a woman in the fire service. Hats off to her. Good book.
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Permalink Reply by Phil Ferris on
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Report from Engine Co. 82 seems to be the book that everyone cut their teeth on, including myself, but I really enjoyed two books by Dave Houseal, now retired from the Harrisburg (PA) Fire Department. We Can See it From the Bridge and We Got 'Em on Point. Two great reads about tradition, friendship and some history of the Harrisburg fire service. I recommend both.
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