Zac Unger didn’t feel like much of a fireman at first. Most of his fellow recruits seemed to have planned for the job all their lives; he was an Ivy League grad responding to an ad at a bus stop. He couldn’t keep his boots shined, and he looked terrible in his uniform. Working Fire is the story of how, from this unlikely beginning, Zac Unger came to feel at home among this close-knit tribe, came to master his work’s demands, and came to know what it is to see the world through a firefighter’s eyes. From the raw material of his days’ work—alarm calls both harrowing and hilarious, moments of triumph and grief—Unger has forged a timeless story of finding one’s path, and a rousing adventure about the bravery and sacrifice of everyday heroes. On the web: http://www.zacunger.com
In 1985, desiring a meaningful, high-paced career in public service, Rachel Wentz left her university studies to become a firefighter/paramedic. Only the eighth woman hired by the Orlando Fire Department, a highly competitive department steeped in tradition, Wentz excelled, completing an AS in Fire Science, a master’s in public administration, and numerous specialized training courses to prepare her for an administrative position within the department. Wentz spent eleven years with OFD, experiencing a career that was every bit as exciting and challenging as she had sought. A moving, candid, and eloquent memoir, Let Burn recounts her experiences as a firefighter/paramedic, during which time she witnessed aspects of life and death few people are privy to, experiences that shaped her as a professional and as a person. From the rigorous demands of training to the extraordinary calls Wentz responded to, Let Burn details the gratifying aspects of the field, but also demonstrates the precarious nature of the job: a heated altercation at the scene of an industrial fire leads to Wentz losing almost everything she’s worked for and the dramatic end of a storied career. In vivid detail, Let Burn provides a firsthand glimpse into the hidden world of firefighting and emergency medicine.
Do you want to be a firefighter? Open this book to find out what adventures await! This book will help kids to imagine what it's like to be a firefighter! Starting with putting on the uniform and then jumping into the truck to rush off to save people and put out a fire, this book provides an early introduction to a day in the life of a busy firefighter. The surprise mirror at the end provides a fun, interactive bonus!
“I felt like I was there with Mickey Farley, going to hot smoky fires and riding on a horse drawn fire apparatus. There, in the era of iron men and wooden ladders. There, with officers and firemen in their firehouses, at their fires, in their lives. I loved this book and highly recommend it.” ‒Paul Hashagen, firefighter F.D.N.Y. Rescue 1 (retired), author, historian An excerpt from A Fireman in the Making: “You are proud of your family’s firefighting history, and rightly so,” I said, impressed. “And what about you, Mickey?” Casey asked. “Well, I came to New York from Mamaroneck less than a year ago seeking an education and a job. A number of events have led me to discover the excitement of firefighting.” “Just how long have you wanted to be a fireman?” Casey asked, startled. “Well, uh, four months, I guess.” Casey’s mouth was agape. “Who ever heard of such a thing? How can you just decide to become a fireman?”
At night, a girl hears the sirens from the fire station near her house. Even though it is dark outside, she knows where they are going: to a castle, to a garden, all the way to Pluto . . . Dashka Slater and Nicoletta Ceccoli have crafted a dreamy ode to firefighters everywhere and the big, brave, spectacular feats they accomplish every day, and every night-all the world over.
He helped save people every day—but he had no idea how to save himself. Jason Sautel had it all. Confident in his abilities and trusted by his fellow firefighters, he was making a name for himself on the streets of Oakland, California. His adrenaline-fueled job even helped him forget the pain of his childhood—until the day he looked into the eyes of a jumper on the Bay Bridge and came face to face with a darkness he knew would take him down as well. In the following months, a series of traumatic emergency calls—some successful, others impossible-to-forget failures—drove Jason deeper into depression. Even as he continued his lifesaving work, he realized he could never rescue everyone, and he had no idea how to save himself. In the end, Jason was forced to confront the truth: only the relentless power of love could pull him back from his own deadly fall. Action-packed, spiritually honest, and surprisingly romantic, The Rescuer transports readers inside the pulse-pounding world of firefighting and into the heart of a man who needed to be broken before he could finally be made whole.
From the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of NOS4A2 and Heart-Shaped Box comes a chilling novel about a worldwide pandemic of spontaneous combustion that threatens to reduce civilization to ashes and a band of improbable heroes who battle to save it, led by one powerful and enigmatic man known as the Fireman. The fireman is coming. Stay cool. No one knows exactly when it began or where it originated. A terrifying new plague is spreading like wildfire across the country, striking cities one by one: Boston, Detroit, Seattle. The doctors call it Draco Incendia Trychophyton. To everyone else it’s Dragonscale, a highly contagious, deadly spore that marks its hosts with beautiful black and gold marks across their bodies—before causing them to burst into flames. Millions are infected; blazes erupt everywhere. There is no antidote. No one is safe. Harper Grayson, a compassionate, dedicated nurse as pragmatic as Mary Poppins, treated hundreds of infected patients before her hospital burned to the ground. Now she’s discovered the telltale gold-flecked marks on her skin. When the outbreak first began, she and her husband, Jakob, had made a pact: they would take matters into their own hands if they became infected. To Jakob’s dismay, Harper wants to live—at least until the fetus she is carrying comes to term. At the hospital, she witnessed infected mothers give birth to healthy babies and believes hers will be fine too. . . if she can live long enough to deliver the child. Convinced that his do-gooding wife has made him sick, Jakob becomes unhinged, and eventually abandons her as their placid New England community collapses in terror. The chaos gives rise to ruthless Cremation Squads—armed, self-appointed posses roaming the streets and woods to exterminate those who they believe carry the spore. But Harper isn’t as alone as she fears: a mysterious and compelling stranger she briefly met at the hospital, a man in a dirty yellow fire fighter’s jacket, carrying a hooked iron bar, straddles the abyss between insanity and death. Known as The Fireman, he strolls the ruins of New Hampshire, a madman afflicted with Dragonscale who has learned to control the fire within himself, using it as a shield to protect the hunted . . . and as a weapon to avenge the wronged. In the desperate season to come, as the world burns out of control, Harper must learn the Fireman’s secrets before her life—and that of her unborn child—goes up in smoke.
Best-selling author Frank Viscuso (Step Up and Lead) and renowned artist and author Paul Combs (Drawn by Fire) have teamed up again to bring you Sprinkles the Fire Dog 2: Making a Difference, the second book of the popular series about the little puppy from a big city who achieved his dream of becoming a fire dog. Ever since becoming a fire dog, Sprinkles has enjoyed helping others. In part 2 of his journey, Sprinkles heads back into the dark, lonely city to find and help another dog in need. This entertaining story will inspire children to pursue their dreams, overcome adversity, fight for what they believe in, be kind, and help others along the way.
"Colorado firefighter Adam O'Malley risks his own life to rescue Carly Spencer's young son and a dog named Molly from a burning building... and assumes that's the last he'll see of them. But Spruce Lake is a small place, and Carly and her four children are new to town. Before he knows it, Adam's mother has invited Carly, her children and the dog to stay at the O'Malley ranch! As the widow of a firefighter, making a good life for her kids is Carly's number one priority. Meeting-- and falling for-- another firefighter is not. Adam, meanwhile, has been avoiding relationships because of a painful secret he's kept from everyone, including his brothers. But the more time he spends with Carly, the more he wants to move past it."--P. [4] of cover.
Chicago Battalion Chief and 27-year service member Steve Chikerotis shares the experiences and stories that have shaped his career and the careers of some of the most influential names in firefighting in this compelling new book. A gripping compilation of 45 short stories and case studies, Firefighters from the Heart: Lessons Learned details actual fire service incidents from some of the most respected firefighters in the nation to convey valuable lessons on safety and risk management through education and awareness. These exciting stories make readers feel that they are on the scene of each heart-pounding incident, and inherently promote the development of crucial life saving instincts and leadership skills while inviting readers to develop a sense of appreciation for the challenges firefighters face.
