This book assumes you don't know anything. Which at first is rather condescending until you later realize the audience it is intended for could probably use the added obvious dose of common sense. The main purpose of this book is "Don't be stupid, Don't Get hurt, and Don't try to be a hero". Which is necessary given that many of the people who become firefighters are adrenaline junkies. There are so many ways to get hurt both in the short-term and the long-term that it almost makes you question whether being a firefighter is all its cracked up to be.