Up in Smoke: My True Story of Life as a Firefighter

by Leigh Hosy-Pickett

'Firefighters are a unique breed. It takes a certain kind of individual to enter a burning building to rescue someone they have never met before.'

A third-generation firefighter, Leigh Hosy-Pickett has seen it all in his twenty-five years in the job. He's battled infernos and pulled people from the wreckage of twisted metal. He's experienced pain and trauma in the discharge of his duty, and been supported by the laughter and strength of character you find within every fire station. A family away from home, firefighters share intimate trust and healthy mutual banter - a spark of light often desperately needed amongst the darkness.

Leigh shares his deeply personal story and the funniest, most eye-opening and moving experiences from a life lived amongst the smoke. A celebration of the everyday heroism of our Fire Service, Up In Smoke is a clear-eyed and honest record of the many sacrifices made for us all in the line of duty.

Genres: Nonfiction

Audible Audio

First published August 18, 2022

Reviews

[Calum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leigh seems like a lovely guy and I appreciate his service but this book lacked depth for me. There's a lot about pranks and some more about the general ethos of the fire service but not so much about what it's like to be called out on an emergency. I understand he may not wish to divulge the details of incidents and he may not want to relive them himself but it really would have been good to gain insight into some call outs.

[Jenny Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read and important subject matter, I maybe expected a few more tales of incidents he had attended.

[Maisie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brutal, honest acvount

Very compelling read. Makes you think twice about what these guys do. Written from the heart. Some of it difficult to get your head around.

[Becky Elsbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was nice to read about a firefighters point of view, through all the highs and lows. Some parts made me laugh, which shows how down to earth he is! Definitely recommend

[Charlie Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good honest book gives a good insight to what it’s like to be a firefighter in the UK. Funny and in-depth

[Nicole K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting information, comical tales and real issues such as mental health. Enjoyed hearing Leighs account of his time on duty

[Mal Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is a paid firefighter in Britain, and I'm a volunteer firefighter in Australia, but I connected immediately with his experiences, the culture and the cameraderie in this book. It's not *exactly* like our service (sounds like we have more bushfires and rural events, and fewer practical jokes), but the urban jobs are familiar, the same emotions are triggered, the stress and impact are consistent, the public is the same and government cuts to the fire services are...well our service is apolitical and has to work with governments of all flavours, so I'm not going to comment.
If you're a firefighter, you'll probably recognise yourself and your colleagues in here (and get some sneaky ideas about uses for chinagraph pencils).
If you're not a firefighter, you might just learn something about a world that not everyone sees.

[Bella Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much talk about practical jokes and pranks than the actual job for me personally. I wanted to read about about all the stories and incidents firefighters go to and there wasn’t much of that in this book tbh!

[teleri · Rating 3 out of 5]

i was expecting more stories of the fires he had attended but there wasn’t really that many, or at least it didn’t feel like it.

[Jennefer Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read that i took on for my non fiction bookclub

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*