The Fire Inside: Firefighters Talk About Their Lives

by Steve Delsohn

In the tradition of Mark Baker's Cops, more than 100 top firefighters describe the highs and lows of the world's most dangerous profession. Fascinating and packed with emotion,THE FIRE INSIDE is a unique look at the unseen world of firefighters who risk their lives for strangers every day In their own words, these male and female heroes vividly describe how they cope with scorching flame, injuries, earthquakes, hazardous waste, and wildfire-and the rewards that keep them climbing back on the fire truck. Steve Delsohn co-wrote the NewYorkTimes bestseller Out of Bounds with football star Jim Brown. He is also the author of Brother Sam, about Sam Kinison; The Emmitt Zone, about Emmit Smith; and numerous articles for People, Sport, and TV Guide. "An emotional portrait of uniquely dedicated public servants that will leave readers weeping-or laughing at their gallows humor." -Publishers Weekly "Harrowing...Vividly realistic." -The Washington Post "In their unabashed style, firefighters tell it like it is." -Firehouse magazine

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Fire Services

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

STEVE DELSOHN is the author or co-author of more than half a dozen books, including Da Bears! and Jim Brown's autobiography, Out of Bounds. He also wrote Talking Irish: The Oral History of Notre Dame Football as well as several other oral histories. He is currently a reporter for ESPN's Outside the Lines, for which he recently won a Peabody Award.

Reviews

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delsohn has collected the personal feelings of firefighters and paramedics with regard to a host of issues ranging from fear, danger, brotherhood, and even the little things. Over one hundred men and women are represented. It's interesting and often poignant revealing the human side of a profession that took a real hit on 9/11 (it was published in 1996 so there are no references to that memorable event.) I wish sometimes the individuals could have been a bit more detailed, but it's a nice representative sample.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Interesting Read

I first want to say that this is my very first time reading a book all about firemen and the jobs they do -- from the most obvious which is putting out fires, to medical emergencies, ridiculous calls that should not have been made to 911, shootings, airports, baby deliveries and everything in between. If this book is a representative sample of the topic, I'd absolutely read more!
I found the stories interesting and at times, captivating. My attention did not wane throughout. I also learned something about the mechanics of fire fighting, why certain things are done, the strong camaraderie among the "brothers" and "sisters" and how fires "behave" in terms of some of the things taught to probationary firefighters. I feel that information could prove to be useful were (Heaven forbid!) a reader ever in a fire situation. Yes, some of it is elementary such as "stay low to the ground" but it doesn't hurt to be reminded.
There were a few minor editing misses such as two words spelled correctly but stuck together and I think I recall a misspelled word or two but it really didn't detract at all from the compelling stories within.
These men and women truly are heroes and their families are special as well for accepting the risks and uncertainty involved in this calling!

[Jordan Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping, visceral and poignantly personal compilation of what life is really like for America's Bravest. From New York City, the tough streets of Chicago to the American Heartland riding with volunteer firefighters. Journalist Steve Delsohn's "The Fire Inside" goes beyond the red tape and the stark media headlines to answer the question why would someone risk his or her own life for a stranger?

Through in-depth interviews with hundreds of firefighters from various agencies across America, these modest and quiet individuals talk candidly about their lives and their careers in the fire service. From a Chicago Firefighter rescuing his neighbor in a burning house, to a New York Rescue company firefighter who saved a trapped passenger when an air plane crashed into sub-freezing water. This book examines every nook and cranny of the firefighter's red-hot adrenaline-fueled world!

If you're a fan of firefighters or have friends and family serving in the fire department, this book is for you. An engaging page-turner for the whole family!

[Dianne McMahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firefighters at their Best & Worst !

Great information about fire fighters,their lives & the emotional toll,it takes to be one.
This book was published in 1996 & many,many things,have changed about this profession.
Highly involved & emotional.
Reading this & the best of the best explaining,why they do this & how,has been highly rewarding.
Do yourself a favor & pick up a copy.,

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories, some happy some sad. Some being a former fireman for 13 years, and a fire sipatcher for 26 years, I can relate too some of them

[Alayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very bitsy, but interesting. It was published in the mid 1990s and I wondered how many of the New York firies were dead after the Twin Towers attack. Lots, I guess.

[Kazen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently I ran across a metafilter thread titled What single book is the best introduction to your field for laypeople? Go have a look -it's chockablock with fascinating introductions to everything from materials science to brewing beer and graphic design to poetry. I fell into the thread and emerged some time later with a longer TBR (so much good stuff!) and grabbed The Fire Inside from my e-library. My brother recently became a volunteer firefighter and I wanted to learn more about what he's doing.

This book is awesome for that. It covers a large range of firefighting experiences - full-time paid, volunteer, wildland (think smokejumpers), women firefighters, paramedics, the gamut. Delsohn interviewed over 100 people and let them speak anonymously so they can be perfectly honest about the highs and lows of their work. The statements are short and grouped by topic under headings like Rookie Mistakes and The Psychological Toll. The wide range of people interviewed makes for sweeping examples of things that can go right or wrong. A section called The Scariest Things They Face is a list of situations I hope I never have to deal with - steam leaks that can boil you alive. Booby traps in burning buildings. Being overcome by a forest fire. Riots. Arriving at an assault before the police and facing down a shooter unarmed. Falling through a roof. There are juxtapositions, too - one person praising counseling after a deadly fire is followed by an old-timer too tough to talk about their feelings.

Delsohn does a great job pacing and ordering the stories so the reader isn't faced with too much death and despair at a time. That awful list of fears includes one firefighter deadpanning,

Well, none of us likes propane much.

I appreciate the well-placed chuckles and rescue stories amidst the more gruesome aspects of the job.

This book was written in 1996 and while it is a product of its time it has aged surprisingly well. Hurricane Andrew and the Oklahoma City bombing are illustrative examples, as well as the Loma Prieta earthquake in San Francisco. While the equipment and disasters have changed over the last twenty years the basic principles - put the wet stuff on the red stuff - remain. I would even argue that the age of the examples makes them feel more real, as the images aren't seared into my brain like more recent events.

If you work in a medically-adjacent field, as I do, you'll love the last chapter about EMS and paramedic care. Where I grew up ambulances were separate from the fire department, but in many areas they are one and the same.

See, I have these three rules. One is, You don't spit on the floor of my ambulance. Two is, You don't get sick and throw up back there. The third rule is, You don't die in my ambulance when I am back there with you.

In particular I love the section about the importance of bedside manner, especially when the bed is a stretch of asphalt, including whether it's okay to lie to a patient ("Doc, am I gonna make it?").

If you couldn't tell I love this book. The stories are compelling and you get a feel for each firefighter even though they may only speak for a paragraph or two. I wouldn't recommend pulling it out in public, though, as rescues and failed rescues can be a surprise attack on the tear ducts.

Required reading for those who work with or are related to first responders, and guaranteed to be fascinating to pretty much everyone else.

[Kristal Stidham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting this to be documentary-style with some research behind it, but it's really just a collection of quotes from firefighters. Some are one liners and some are long stories, some sad and some happy, some that re-inforce what you know and some that contradict your assumptions. Overall, I liked it because I learned a little bit about the profession. The failure for me is with the narrator of the audiobook who tries to give each quote a new voice, but mostly it just sounds like he's switching off between Boston and New York accents. (It started to bug me when some of the tidbits were obviously from men who lived in California or even Australia.)

[Carianne Carleo-Evangelist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found out about this from an AskMe (http://ask.metafilter.com/71101/What-...) that was recently linked in Meta Talk. I have no interest in becoming a firefighter, but it got me thinking. I knew it was somewhat dated as it didn’t cover 9/11, but it was only when I went to add it to my LibraryThing that I realized it dated to the mid 90s. Unsurprisingly, there was significant attention paid to Oklahoma City.

[Hockeynut1977 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating read is a collection of interviews from firefighters around the country. This is about as accurate of a portrayal you can get of the mindset of a firefighter.

[Patti Merz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real life stories

It was very interesting getting all these different perspectives on firefighting, at times a little hard to follow going from one side of the country to the other.