Firefighters: Their Lives in Their Own Words

By Dennis Smith

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jul 7, 2010
• ISBN: 9780307484901

Reviews for Firefighters

[rnelsonco · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dennis Smith uses his own experience and that of his coworkers, friends and colleagues from around the U.S. to illustrate what it is to be a firefighter. The book is comprised of many individual stories and covers everything from actual fire fighting to the most basic medical response calls. He also includes a look into the private lives of firefighters and how they deal with religious issues and balancing career and family. The book is a good way to show all sides of the career and serves as a way to "bond" all firefighters together by sharing personal experiences. I would recommend the book to anyone considering the profession but also for those who are already serving the community as a firefighter. Because the stories are told in the words of individual firefighters, some of the stories are more basic and very simple to read. Other stories are more complex and would appeal to a more sophisticated reader. However, all stories of are worth reading.