Download or read book Dennis Smith s History of Firefighting in America written by Dennis Smith and published by Doubleday. This book was released on 1978 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recreates through text, line art, and photographs America's most notable fires and traces the evolution of firefighting methods
Download or read book Report from Ground Zero written by Dennis Smith and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2003-02-25 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The tragic events of September 11, 2001, forever altered the American landscape, both figuratively and literally. Immediately after the jets struck the twin towers of the World Trade Center, Dennis Smith, a former firefighter, reported to Manhattan’s Ladder Co. 16 to volunteer in the rescue efforts. In the weeks that followed, Smith was present on the front lines, attending to the wounded, sifting through the wreckage, and mourning with New York’s devastated fire and police departments. This is Smith’s vivid account of the rescue efforts by the fire and police departments and emergency medical teams as they rushed to face a disaster that would claim thousands of lives. Smith takes readers inside the minds and lives of the rescuers at Ground Zero as he shares stories about these heroic individuals and the effect their loss had on their families and their companies. “It is,” says Smith, “the real and living history of the worst day in America since Pearl Harbor.” Written with drama and urgency, Report from Ground Zero honors the men and women who—in America’s darkest hours—redefined our understanding of courage.
Download or read book First In Last Out written by John Salka and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2005-02-22 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does it take to lead people into a burning building? How do the leaders of the New York City Fire Department develop so much loyalty, trust, and grace under pressure that their subordinates will risk their very lives for them? As a high-ranking officer of the FDNY, John Salka is an expert at both practicing and teaching high-stakes leadership. In First In, Last Out, he explains the department’s unique strategies and how they can be adopted by leaders in any field—as he has taught them to organizations around the country. In a tough-talking, no-nonsense style, Salka uses real-world stories to convey leadership imperatives such as: first in, last out—your people need to see you taking the biggest risk, as the first one to enter the danger zone and the last to leave manage change—the fire you fought yesterday is not the one you’ll be fighting tomorrow communicate aggressively—a working radio is worth more than 20,000 gallons of water create an execution culture—focus your people on the flames, not the smoke commit to reality—never allow the way you would like things to be to color how things are develop your people—let them feel a little heat today or they’ll get burned tomorrow Illustrated by harrowing real-life situations, the principles in First In, Last Out will help managers become more confident, coherent, and commanding. On the web: http://www.firstinleadership.com
Download or read book Firehouse written by Dennis Smith and published by . This book was released on 1977 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Report from Engine Co 82 written by Dennis Smith and published by Grand Central Publishing. This book was released on 2009-09-26 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From his bawdy and brave fellow firefighters to the hopeful, hateful, beautiful and beleaguered residents of the poverty-stricken district where he works, Dennis Smith tells the story of a brutalising yet rewarding profession.
Download or read book San Francisco is Burning written by Dennis Smith and published by Viking Adult. This book was released on 2005 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "At 5:12 A.M. on the morning of April 18, 1906, San Francisco was struck by one of the worst earthquakes ever recorded, a disaster that instantly killed hundreds and leveled large sections of the city. The quake has become a watershed event in American history, yet with the passage of time its drama has overshadowed the even greater calamity to which it gave rise: the fires that broke out as the result of toppling chimneys, broken flues, and severed gas lines. These blazes burned for days and were ultimately responsible for the deaths of as many as three thousand people, the destruction of more than five hundred blocks and twenty-eight thousand buildings, and the dislocation of some two hundred thousand residents." "In San Francisco Is Burning, Dennis Smith recounts the three terrible days of the tragedy with an almost cinematic immediacy, tracing the drama through the experiences of a number of people who lived it: a valiant naval officer who helped save the city's piers and wharves, the corrupt mayor, a firefighter who witnessed firsthand the staggering intensity of the fires, a woman who ran a shelter in Chinatown, and the army general who took command of the city and inadvertently placed the city and its people at even greater risk." "Above all, San Francisco Is Burning is a compelling and timely account of how a city copes with catastrophe - how it prepares for such contingencies and how effectively it deals with them when they occur. Smith reveals how San Francisco's corrupt municipal government had paid little heed to the warnings of its fire chief about the inadequacies of the public water system, a failing that would leave the city particularly vulnerable to spreading blazes. Once the fires began, a number of decisions made by the emergency leadership not only proved ineffective hut actually exacerbated the situation. Dynamiting to create firebreaks became, in the hands of amateurs, a dangerous incendiary, while the enforced evacuation of many of the city's neighborhoods deprived them of a volunteer fire brigade, desperate to save their own homes. But the most drastic measure - the declaration of martial law and posting of militia with shoot-to-kill orders against looters - turned out to be the most damaging of all as it led to senseless deaths and the demoralizing of an already overwhelmed populace."--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book Firefighters written by Dennis Smith and published by Crown. This book was released on 2002-03-12 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book The Downwind Walk written by Steve Kanarian and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2011-10-07 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: About the Book The Downwind Walk lets you experience the tragic events following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001 through the eyes of an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) paramedic who went into harms way to rescue the victims, which rapidly included many of his brothers and sisters of the New York Fire Department (NYFD) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The author was a member of the EMS FDNY in the Bronx who was deployed with the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) USAR team at Ground Zero. He went downwind with the USAR team after they set up operations and donned the proper protective clothing and breathing protection. Their mission was to take a first hand look at that mass casualty incident (MCI), assess the damage and losses, and make an estimation of resources needed to mitigate the incident. The reader is invited to take the downwind walk with Steve as he recounts the events, sights, smells and vivid memories of that unforgettable September .. from eye level at Ground Zero, in his dusty boots. In this book, you will read stories about EMTs and paramedics who were at Ground Zero with the author, including some who were wounded or traumatized and others who made the ultimate sacrifice. You will also learn about NYFD EMS personnel who made a significant contribution to patient care and public service by responding to numerous 9-1-1 calls or assisting fallen coworkers that week despite extremely stressful working conditions. No doubt you have heard the popular stories that tell of heroism on airline flights, in the Twin Towers and at the Pentagon. It is also important for future generations of Americans to know about the sacrifice and dedication of NYFD EMS first responders. Now is the time to share their stories as the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 looms on the horizon as ominously as the smoke and dust filled the atmosphere after the collapse of the Twin Towers. Steve wants future EMTs and paramedics to know about the individual acts of caring and dedication of the EMS first responders at Ground Zero. He also would like to share with them stories of how EMS dealt with this horrendous incident and lessons learned from the catastrophic consequences of that MCI so they may learn from their experience.
Download or read book The Little Fire Engine That Saved the City written by Dennis Smith and published by Doubleday Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 1990-04-01 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reliable fire engine Number Four, retired in favor of new equipment, saves the day when the biggest fire the city has ever seen gets out of control.
Download or read book Crew Resource Management for the Fire Service written by Randy Okray and published by PennWell Books. This book was released on 2003-12 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This resource aims to reduce injuries and fatalities on the fireground by preventing human error. It provides fire service professionals with the necessary communication, leadership, and decision-making tools to operate safely and effectively under stressful conditions. Although the concept of crew resource management has been around since the 1970s, this is the first book to apply C( to the fire service industry.
Download or read book Firefight written by Patrick Creed and published by Presidio Press. This book was released on 2008-05-27 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Amid all the stories of tragedy and heroism on September 11, there is one tale that has yet to be told–the gripping account of ordinary men and women braving the inferno at the Pentagon to rescue friends and co-workers, save the nation’s military headquarters, and defend their country. Pentagon firefighters Alan Wallace and Mark Skipper had just learned the shocking news that planes had struck the World Trade Center when they saw something equally inconceivable: a twin-engine jetliner flying straight at them. It was American Airlines Flight 77, rushing toward its target. In his Pentagon office, Army major David King was planning a precautionary evacuation when the room suddenly erupted in flames. Arlington firefighters Derek Spector, Brian Roache, and Ron Christman, among the first responders at the scene, were stunned by the sight that met them: a huge flaming hole gouged into the Pentagon’s side, a lawn strewn with smoking debris, and thousands of people, some badly injured, stumbling away from what would become one of the most daunting fires in American history. For more than twenty-four hours, Arlington firefighters and other crews faced some of the most dangerous and unusual circumstances imaginable. The size and structure of the Pentagon itself presented unique challenges, compelling firefighters to devise ingenious tactics and make bold decisions–until they finally extinguished the fire that threatened to cripple America’s military infrastructure just when it was needed most. Granted unprecedented access to the major players in the valiant response efforts, Patrick Creed and Rick Newman take us step-by-step through the harrowing minutes, hours, and days following the crash of American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon’s western façade. Providing fascinating personal stories of the firefighters and rescuers, a broader view of how the U.S. national security command structure was held intact, and a sixteen-page insert of dramatic photographs, Firefight is a unique testament to the fortitude and resilience of America.
Download or read book Call the Fire Brigade written by Allan Grice and published by Random House. This book was released on 2012-08-30 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Working as a fireman in London’s East End during the early 1970s was no easy ride. In the years before workplace health-and-safety legislation had started to exert its grip, Allan Grice had to cut his fire-and-rescue teeth without the advantages of a breathing apparatus for each member of his crew. Back then, the time-tested strategy was to ‘get in’ – to crawl below the intense heat and ‘eat’ the thick smoke – in order to locate a missing child or to halt a rapidly spreading inferno. In Call the Fire Brigade!, Grice recounts his most memorable experiences as a front-line member of the London Fire Brigade working the city’s East End, with its myriad commercial premises, brooding Thames-side warehouses, seedy tenements and colourful cosmopolitan community, ranging from prosperous manufacturers to down-and-out winos with their body-warming bonfires in derelict houses. Fires in factories, tenements and warehouses, and non-fire emergencies such as the Moorgate Tube disaster of 1975, are graphically described, while the elation of rescue, the sadness of being too late to save lives and the warm camaraderie of fire crews during some of the capital’s busiest peacetime years are vividly depicted.
Download or read book Crucible of Fire written by Bruce Hensler and published by Potomac Books, Inc.. This book was released on 2011-06-30 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Urban conflagrations, such as the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and the Great Boston Fire the following year, terrorized the citizens of nineteenth-century American cities. However, urban rebirth in the aftermath of great fires offered a chance to shape the future. Ultimately residents and planners created sweeping changes in the methods of constructing buildings, planning city streets, engineering water distribution systems, underwriting fire insurance, and firefighting itself. Crucible of Fire describes how the practical knowledge gained from fighting nineteenth-century fires gave form and function to modern fire protection efforts. Changes in materials and building design resulted directly from tragedies such as fires in supposedly fireproof hotels. Thousands of buildings burned, millions of dollars were lost, the fire insurance industry faltered, and the nature of volunteerism changed radically before municipal authorities took the necessary actions. The great fires formed a crucible of learning for firefighters, engineers, architects, underwriters, and citizens. Veteran firefighter Bruce Hensler shows how the modern American fire service today is a direct result of the lessons of history and a rethinking of the efficacy of volunteerism in fighting fires. Crucible of Fire is an eye-opening look at today's fire service and a thorough examination of what firefighters, civic leaders, and ordinary citizens can do to protect their homes and communities from the mistakes of the past.
Download or read book The Fire Service written by J. A. Rhodes and published by Booklocker.Com Incorporated. This book was released on 2006-04 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is for everyone who wonders why fire engines are red, why a chief has five "bugles" while a captain has two, why fire hydrants are sometimes called "fire plugs" and why we toll bells and play bagpipes at firefighter funerals.
Download or read book D C Fire written by Dennis Rubin and published by Fire Engineering Books. This book was released on 2013 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chief Dennis Rubin, a 40-year fire service veteran and author of Rube's Rules for Survival, offers his newest leadership text based on his tenure as chief of Washington, D.C. Fire & EMS. This fast-paced collection of behind-the-scenes stories and case studies provides the reader with insight on how leadership techniques can be applied--for better or worse--in a real-world setting where a new chief has to hit the ground running. Case studies also include discussion questions to stimulate additional perspectives on effective leadership methods and the pitfalls that can occur for those who hold the greatest responsibility. Whether you belong to a major metropolitan department or a smaller volunteer organization, Rubin's stories will provide a fascinating look at the dilemmas of fire service leadership today.
Download or read book Pentagon 9 11 written by Alfred Goldberg and published by Office of the Secretary, Historical Offi. This book was released on 2007-09-05 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most comprehensive account to date of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon and aftermath, this volume includes unprecedented details on the impact on the Pentagon building and personnel and the scope of the rescue, recovery, and caregiving effort. It features 32 pages of photographs and more than a dozen diagrams and illustrations not previously available.
Download or read book Mayday Firefighter Down written by Gary Ryman and published by Hellgate Press. This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lieutenant Dave Michaels is a chief officer in the making, according to some, as is his best friend, fellow officer and brother-in-law, Matt Thompson. After an intentionally set fire kills Thompson, Michaels begins to investigate the fire himself, angered by the slow police action. A series of similar fires convinces him that the key lies with the buildings' owner, the ex-wife of his deputy chief. But Michaels' dogged pursuit of the arsonist eventually puts him at odds with his superiors and a gritty, old-school detective named Witkowski. And it's not just his career that's in danger. Michaels' life is also on the line as the arsonist has a plan to permanently extinguish the fireman's burning desire for justice.
