I have an entire library of firefighting books, but Report from Engine Co. 82 is still the leader in the clubhouse.
A close second - 40,000 Alarms by Richard Hamilton
Some of my other favorites:
Report from Ground Zero - Dennis Smith
Firehouse - Dennis Smith
Last Man Down - Richard Piccioto
Firefighters - National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
Another one I would recommend is "Wooden Sticks and Iron Men" by Bill Noonan, photographer for the Boston Fire Department. It's really captioned pictures, but the pictures alone tell the story of how things were "back in the day."
It covers the Boston FD in the post-World War 2 era up to the early 1960s.
Report from Engine co 82 is a great read, 30 years on the line is one of my Favorites. I am lucky to actually be able to work along side some of those that he based his personalites on. Some of the stunts that he wrote about are very much true... Bill Noonans books are great also. Growing up I would look at his photo books, today, I have several of his work hangin on my walls of me and my crew working.
I've been "collecting" fire service books since becoming a volunteer seven years ago - this is what's currently on my shelf and a dozen more are on my Amazon 'watch list' waiting for the price to drop. (And now I need to go check some titles from this forum I wasn't aware of.) Most are out of print now but you can find almost all as a used book on Amazon or on E-bay (note to Joe Stoltz - that's how I replaced the copy of 20,000 Alarms that I foolishly gave away.) Anyway, this is thrown out there just in case some of you see a title you have not read - I recommend all of them as worthwhile reading. Andy
General firefighting - third person
- Last American Heroes
- Braving the Flames
-Firefighters (Smith)
- Fire Fighters (Willis)
- The Fire Inside
- Amswering the Bell
Volunteer Firefighting Memoir
- Fire, Blood and Forty Below
- Population: 485
- Thoughts on Fire
Career Firefighter Memoir
- Thirty Years on the Line
- Working Fire
- Saving Troy (NY)
- The Brave
- Rescue Squad
- Report From Engine Co. 82
- 20,000 Alarms
- Ghetto Firefighter
- On Fire
- Turnout
- Days and Nights of Fire
Arson
- Arson!
- Heat
911-inspired or NYC-related
- Strong of Heart
- Report From Ground Zero
- Firehouse
- Last Man Down
- Firehouse Down
History of major fires
- Young Men and Fire
- Boston on Fire
- Circus Fire
- To Sleep With the Angels
- Triangle
- So Others Might Live
- The Day the MGM Grand Burned
- Fire in the Grove
- 3000 Degrees
EMS
- Angels of Emergency
- Ambulance Girl
- Burn Unit
- Trauma Junkie
- Into the Breach
Leadership/Lessons Learned
- First In, Last Out
- Firefighters From the Heart
I love reading alot of firefighting books but I would say Report of Engine Co 82 is good for story line but another book that is a good book is by Chief Laskey Pride& Ownership