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Rescue Men
The men in Charles Kenney's family have been drawn to firefighting since his grandfather Charles "Pops" Kenney joined the Boston Fire Department in 1932. In his working class, Irish-Catholic neighborhood, there were other jobs that offered a decent wage, but none had the sense of belonging that comes with being a fireman, or the purity of purpose that comes with saving lives. Pops was on the scene of the notorious Cocoanut Grove fire in 1942; the author's father, "Sonny" served with distinction until an explosion blew him from a third-story window; and two of the author's brothers were "sparks" as children, amateur firefighters, whose career goals were thwarted by a court order integrating the Boston fire department and changing the rules for employment forever. One became a cop, the other a paramedic and rescue man with an elite squad sent to Ground Zero in the aftermath of the collapse of the World Trade Center. Spanning sixty years of firefighting history in America, Rescue Men captures what it's really like to be a fireman.
- GenresMemoir
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
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April 20, 2009In this book "Rescue Men" by Charles Kenney the author interviewed our hero fireman "Jimmy Hardy" for the story of our bad house fire in Feb 1987.
The story is published on chapter 14 "27 Wedgemere Road". The story begins on page 209 and it tells the details of how my 3 year old son Mark was trapped in our house which was up in flames. It gives all the details of how courageous Jimmy Hardy was to go into the house to find my son. he had been in the house 2x and was going back in on his 3d attempt to find Mark with barely any oxygen left in his mask and he miraculously found my son! When he found Mark my son was not breathing so Jimmy gave him mouth to mouth and got him breathing again and then Mark went into the ambulance to the hospital. My son was in the Shriner's Burns Inst. for over a month and had to undergo quite a few skin grafting surgeries for several areas of his face and body. My son also had severe lung damage so it was very touch and go for the first few weeks. Jimmy was always there visiting him and he stayed in touch with my son throughout his childhood and they still talk today. In 2007 Jimmy attended my son Mark's wedding and it was a very emotional day for me because I know my son would have not been there getting married if it weren't for Jimmy Hardy's bravery to save his life 20 years earlier. I thank God each day for Jimmy and for giving my son Mark back to me. As a parent seeing your child endure so much it hurts alot. My son endured many years of heartache & pain throughout his childhood and teenage years because of his scars and awful kids would call him very mean names and tease him so badly and my heart ached for him because he never deserved that. I would always be very over-protective of him because of that. Today he is a great man that I am so proud of for all of his accomplishments and for being a great person with a heart of gold a great son, wonderful husband & father. This bad fire is something I will never be able to forget for the rest of my life. I am very grateful to all fireman for they are all hero's in my eyes for their courage & bravery of going into fires to save people's lives each and every day. Thank You!!
"God Bless All Fireman"!!
Sincerely, Paula Walsh
pollie63@gmail.com
The story is published on chapter 14 "27 Wedgemere Road". The story begins on page 209 and it tells the details of how my 3 year old son Mark was trapped in our house which was up in flames. It gives all the details of how courageous Jimmy Hardy was to go into the house to find my son. he had been in the house 2x and was going back in on his 3d attempt to find Mark with barely any oxygen left in his mask and he miraculously found my son! When he found Mark my son was not breathing so Jimmy gave him mouth to mouth and got him breathing again and then Mark went into the ambulance to the hospital. My son was in the Shriner's Burns Inst. for over a month and had to undergo quite a few skin grafting surgeries for several areas of his face and body. My son also had severe lung damage so it was very touch and go for the first few weeks. Jimmy was always there visiting him and he stayed in touch with my son throughout his childhood and they still talk today. In 2007 Jimmy attended my son Mark's wedding and it was a very emotional day for me because I know my son would have not been there getting married if it weren't for Jimmy Hardy's bravery to save his life 20 years earlier. I thank God each day for Jimmy and for giving my son Mark back to me. As a parent seeing your child endure so much it hurts alot. My son endured many years of heartache & pain throughout his childhood and teenage years because of his scars and awful kids would call him very mean names and tease him so badly and my heart ached for him because he never deserved that. I would always be very over-protective of him because of that. Today he is a great man that I am so proud of for all of his accomplishments and for being a great person with a heart of gold a great son, wonderful husband & father. This bad fire is something I will never be able to forget for the rest of my life. I am very grateful to all fireman for they are all hero's in my eyes for their courage & bravery of going into fires to save people's lives each and every day. Thank You!!
"God Bless All Fireman"!!
Sincerely, Paula Walsh
pollie63@gmail.com
December 8, 2016
Good read ....
Love reading about Boston's brave. I would tell you to read it. It show the world of firefighters and the brotherhood.
Love reading about Boston's brave. I would tell you to read it. It show the world of firefighters and the brotherhood.
November 22, 2021
The stories in Charles Kenney’s Rescue Men didn’t start on November 28, 1942, but the catastrophic fire at Boston’s Cocoanut Grove nightclub that occurred that night was a backdrop for the stories. Kenney’s grandpa was a Boston firefighter who helped rescue occupants from the Shawmut Street exit until he was overcome by the superheated toxic smoke. His father, who also served the BFD until a traumatic fall ended his career, spent fourteen years researching the fire and its unusual behavior. In fact, Sonny Kenney was instrumental in linking the fire’s extreme behavior to the refrigerant methyl chloride that was used in the club and helping to clear the busboy as the fire’s source of ignition.
Firefighters who specialize in technical rescue, including the author’s grandpa, dad, and brother, are one focus of the book. His family’s connections to Boston Fire Department specifically and the industry as a whole is another focus. The author also dedicates paragraphs to other BFD firefighters who contributed to noteworthy, and sometimes fatal, rescue operations. One story that sticks with me has the backstory behind a series of terrifying photos of a fire escape collapse from July 22, 1975, by Stanley Forman. Check it out.
Ultimately, however, I don’t know whether the book is a family biography/tribute, a history of the Grove Fire (with insights I need to add to my presentation), or a series of BFD vignettes. Each narrative line was interesting and engaging—Kenney is a good writer—but each chapter appeared to be arranged arbitrarily, which didn’t sit well in my brain. It’s not my favorite book about urban firefighting, but I am glad I read it.
Firefighters who specialize in technical rescue, including the author’s grandpa, dad, and brother, are one focus of the book. His family’s connections to Boston Fire Department specifically and the industry as a whole is another focus. The author also dedicates paragraphs to other BFD firefighters who contributed to noteworthy, and sometimes fatal, rescue operations. One story that sticks with me has the backstory behind a series of terrifying photos of a fire escape collapse from July 22, 1975, by Stanley Forman. Check it out.
Ultimately, however, I don’t know whether the book is a family biography/tribute, a history of the Grove Fire (with insights I need to add to my presentation), or a series of BFD vignettes. Each narrative line was interesting and engaging—Kenney is a good writer—but each chapter appeared to be arranged arbitrarily, which didn’t sit well in my brain. It’s not my favorite book about urban firefighting, but I am glad I read it.
August 25, 2021
Well-written account of the lives of a couple of Boston firefighters. Unfortunately the author promoted the book as a expose on the Coconut Grove fire of the 1940's but except for the first couple of chapters and the last couple, it was more an expose on the men in his family.
March 7, 2016
Rescue Men is a collection of stories of a family of firefighters. Pops Joined the Boston Fire Department in 1932 and he is one of many firefighters who responded to the horrific Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire in 1942. Pops was able to save many lives but was haunted by the ones who did not make it.
Ok book. Some stories feel unfinished while others went on forever. The Cocoanut Grove fire is the dominant story of the book. I am giving it three stars but it is very interesting but I am disappointed in it overall. ”
Ok book. Some stories feel unfinished while others went on forever. The Cocoanut Grove fire is the dominant story of the book. I am giving it three stars but it is very interesting but I am disappointed in it overall. ”
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews