Fire Fighters: Stories of Survival from the Front Lines of Firefighting

by Clint Willis (Editor)

Overview

Firefighters have long been among the most admired men and women in our culture, and recent events have shown how well-placed that admiration is--adding fuel to our innate fascination with stories about fire and the people who risk their lives to fight it. Some of our best writers are drawn to the subject of firefighting, and over the years they have created a rich body of literature. Fire Fighters offers the most exciting and compelling stories from that body of work, including accounts of devastating fires from New York to Yellowstone, as well as smaller blazes that have turned particularly ugly or dangerous. Selections include Jimmy Breslin's eulogy for the men who died in the famous Chelsea fire, Norman McLean on the Great Gulch forest fire that killed nine young smokejumpers, John McPhee on fires in the Pine Barrens, Studs Terkel's interview with a fire fighter, and riveting accounts of the FDNY's role in the September 11 tragedy and its aftermath. 16 black-and-white photos are also featured.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781560254027
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	06/04/2002
Series:	Adrenaline
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Clint Willis has published more than forty books, including anthologies on topics such as adventure, politics, relgion, and war. His work has appeared in hundreds of publications, including Men's Journal, Outside, and the New York Times. His work has also been nominated for the American Society of Magazine Editors' National Magazine Award.

Table of Contents

	Photographs	viii
	Introduction	ix
	Blowup: What Went Wrong at Storm King Mountain	1
	Which Way Did He Run?	17
	from The Fire Inside: Firefighters Talk About Their Lives	35
	from Fire Line: Summer Battles of the West	57
	from Working	73
	from Will the Circle Be Unbroken?	81
	from Report from Engine Co. 82	87
	from On Fire	95
	The Chief	105
	Bound Upon a Wheel of Fire	117
	from Young Men and Fire	127
	from Fire on the Rim	165
	from USFS 1919: The Ranger, the Cook, and a Hole in the Sky	197
	from The Journey Home	223
	A Reporter at Large: Fire	251
	from Yellowstone's Red Summer	289
	from Seasonal: A Life Outside	293
	Pride and Glory of Firefighting Is Hard to Resist	309
	The Fires Next Time	315
	from The Pine Barrens	327
	When Every One Is Panic Stricken	339
	Acknowledgments	347
	Permissions	348
	Bibliography	350

Editorial Reviews

This collection features 21 essays previously published in a variety of books and magazines between 1963 and 2001, and offers insights into the lives and experiences of the men and women who fight fires, in urban, rural and forest environments. Contributing authors from the past and the present include Edward Abbey, Stephen Crane, Thomas Hackett, Sebastian Junger, Elizabeth Kolbert, Norman Maclean, John McPhee, Stephen Pyne, and Studs Terkel. Accessible to general readers. No subject index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR