"This second edition of I Love a Fire Fighter is, like the first, intended to raise awareness of the psychological consequences of being a fire service family. It is my objective to describe the subtle and obvious ways the demands of this unique occupation spill over to home and to suggest strategies that you-as a parent, a child, a sibling, a spouse, a friend, or a significant other-can use to manage the spillover and/or learn to live with it"--
Dying is a fact of life. Everything you need to know before you go.If you're reading this, you've come to the realization that someday, you will in fact, pass away. For many families the event is traumatic enough but then the aftershocks of the planning process can make it worse. It doesn't have to be that way. This book will provide you with the information to plan everything well in advance, taking the burden off of your family entirely. You hold in your hands the information and essential implementation steps that you need presented in an engaging, thought provoking and surprisingly entertaining way. You may feel a little uncomfortable talking about what happens when you pass away. That's understandable, most people do at first. However death and dying is a fact of life. Keep in mind that the planning process is not about you; it is about your family and loved ones and providing THEM with peace-of-mind and comfort. Why am so passionate about this topic? - I am the sole survivor of a family of five. - I have been a firefighter for over 25 years. - I have been a responder to some of the nation's most tragic events, including school shootings, aircraft accidents and the attack on America on 9/11. Some of the informative topics discussed include: - Why planning is important - 7 key things you must have in your will - Creative ways to utilize life insurance - Tips for flawless funeral planning - What happens to your finances when you die - Long and short-term financial planning - Special little known facts about Socia Security and veteran's benefits - Protecting your assets - Legacy planning, how do YOU want to be remembered - Planning for business separation if you are a business owner This book will provide you with the tools to start your very own planning process and provide peace-of-mind for your family. Remember, it's not about you; it's about them.
Practical family ministry for both the churched and the unchurched are the foundation of this book. African-American churches can help prevent dropouts from society and restore those who have dropped out. They can help strengthen single-parent homes and prevent divorce--but it needs the kind of vision and strategies Richardson describes.
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.
When a jury returns to a packed courtroom to announce its verdict in a capital murder case every noise, even a scraped chair or an opening door, resonates like a high–tension cable snap. Spectators stop rustling in their seats; prosecution and defense lawyers and the accused stiffen into attitudes of wariness; and the judge looks on owlishly. In that atmosphere of heightened expectation the jury entered a Riverside County Superior Court room in southern California to render a decision in the trial of Raymond Oyler, charged with murder for setting the Esperanza Fire of 2006, which killed a five–man Forest Service engine crew sent to fight the blaze. Today, wildland fire is everybody's business, from the White House to the fireground. Wildfires have grown bigger, more intense, more destructive—and more expensive. Federal taxpayers, for example, footed most of the $16 million bill for fighting the Esperanza Fire. But the highest cost was the lives of the five–man crew of Engine 57, the first wildland engine crew ever to be wiped out by flames. They were caught in an "area ignition," which in seconds covered three–quarters of a mile and swept the house they were defending on a dry ridge face, where human dwellings chew into previously wild and still unforgiving territory. John Maclean, award–winning author of three previous books on wildfire disasters, spent more than five years researching the Esperanza Fire and covering the trial of Raymond Oyler. Maclean offers an insider's second–by–second account of the fire and the capture and prosecution of Oyler, the first person ever to be found guilty of murder for setting a wildland fire.
In the struggle over affirmative action, no employment setting has seen more friction than urban fire departments. Thirty years of legal and political efforts have opened the doors of this historically white male preserve, but men of color have yet to consolidate their gains, and women's progress has been even more tenuous. In this unique and compelling account of affirmative action at the "street level," Carol Chetkovich explores the ways in which this program has succeeded and failed. Chetkovich follows the men and women of the Oakland Fire Department Class 1-91 through their academy training and eighteen-month probation. In vivid and sometimes surprising narratives, newcomers tell of their first battle with a full-fledged fire, their reactions to hazing rituals, and their relationships with veterans and fellow trainees. Real Heat explores how the process of becoming a firefighter interacts with the dimensions of race and gender to support some and discourage others. The book examines the implications of these interactions for public policy and social justice.
He's a man who wants it all…if only he could have it Dreams of stardom took musician and firefighter Sam Marshall far from his Colorado roots. Starting fresh in Nashville hasn't been easy, especially after an injury on the job, but he's working his way to the Grand Ole Opry one open mike at a time, teaching at the fire station to make ends meet. Yet Sam's intentions are shaken when he meets the lovely owner of a local café. Suddenly, Sam's dreams are filled with her. Too bad that as the daughter of country-music wannabes, Finn Leary's been there, done that. She'll never choose a musician. So how can Sam possibly get the girl and keep the guitar?
On the morning of September 11, 2001, our world changed forever-not only in this country, but in every other country as well. There is undoubtedly no other single event occurring in our nation's history that can compare with the impact felt that day. And for the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice that September morning, their legacies will be carried by the family and friends who embraced them as sons, daughters, parents, and partners. Sons of Valor, Parents of Faith shares the touching personal stories and interviews of the parents of New York City firefighters and one police detective killed on 9/11, and it takes us on their subsequent spiritual and emotional journeys. Although many of these men were young, they had already left a significant imprint on the world, and their parents now share their feelings about their grief in the aftermath of the tragedy. All the parents were brought together by the FDNY Counseling Services Unit to begin the healing process, where they learned how to heal after such a major disaster and loss. Parents should never bury their children; however, for the parents of the 343 lost New York City firefighters, September 11, 2001 changed the rules in so many different ways. Now in their own words, the faithful parents of these heroes share their sons' bravery and sacrifice-so that it will never be forgotten.
