Firefighters: Their Lives in Their Own Words

Rating:
Summary: All About Firefighters
Review: Do you like the thrill of going into a burning building? The book "Firefighters: Their Lives in Their Own Words", is written by Dennis Smith. Firefighting is not an easy thing to do. This book tells you what they do and how they live.
Firefighters do not live an easy life, despite what American people might think. The book explores firefighting all over the United States. Some of the places are New York City, Boston, San Francisco, and Chicago. Some firefighters go into the bucket of a ladder truck; others are interior. This means that they go into the burning building and put their lives at risk.
I give this book five stars and recommend this book to anyone that loves adventures. It is an easy read with lots of pictures.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic In That Fine Oral Tradition
Review: I'm a 27 year-old professional firefighter in a suburb of Detroit. When I was 16 I picked up this book on a whim at the public library and it enveloped me. This book, along with Dennis Smith's classic Report From Engine Co. 82, was the inspiration for me to try to become a fireman. Mr. Smith takes the great anecdotes that every firefighter accumulates and puts them into print just the way they were told, in the fine oral tradition that lives today in every fire hall in the world. Some stories are funny, some sad, some make you wonder why any one anywhere would ever think to take the test.

Whether you're an old brown-shoed leather-lung, or some fresh-faced youngster eyeing this career field for the first time with a furrowed brow, or just someone looking for a book of hair-raising tales from the people who lived it, this book has something in it to give you pause.

Thank you Dennis Smith, from the bottom of my heart. It was you that made all the difference in my life.

Rating:
Summary: All About Firefighters
Review: I'm not saying this book is bad, but I just could not get into this book. I thought I'd really enjoy it, but it's all one and two page anecdotes. A lot of them are very repetitive of the other ones. I think if they stuck to only a dozen or so in depth, it would have been more interesting and enjoyable, at least for me that is. But this is just my opinion, the other reviewers all seemed to enjoy it. If you think this book may appeal to you, go ahead and try it. Don't go by my opinion, after all it is only my humble opinion.

Rating:
Summary: Just Could Not Get Into This Book
Review: I'm not saying this book is bad, but I just could not get into this book. I thought I'd really enjoy it, but it's all one and two page anecdotes. A lot of them are very repetitive of the other ones. I think if they stuck to only a dozen or so in depth, it would have been more interesting and enjoyable, at least for me that is. But this is just my opinion, the other reviewers all seemed to enjoy it. If you think this book may appeal to you, go ahead and try it. Don't go by my opinion, after all it is only my humble opinion.

Rating:
Summary: Firefighters in their own words
Review: Smith, author of Report from Engine Co. 82 and editor of Firehouse magazine, has interviewed firefighters around the country, professional and volunteer, male and female, in big cities and in small towns, and here reports their observations about their careers. What shines through most consistently is their altruism: they love their work and not the least of the reasons for that affection is the opportunity they have to save lives, or at least to do good. Another strong element is camaraderie: firefighter after firefighter mentions the sense of family that each feels, a feeling almost as strong as that for the biological family. There are accounts of choosing firefighting as a career, the baptism of fire, firehouse life and, in a really harrowing chapter, details of some of the worst blazes. The book is as moving as it is informative.

Rating:
Summary: In their own words......
Review: The title really says it all. This book is told by firefighters, but it is not just for firefighters. I would highly recommend this to anyone thinking of joining the fire service.