Notes from the Fireground: Memoir of a New York Firefighter

by Thomas Dunne

Overview

In a 33-year career with the New York City Fire Department, Tom Dunne fought hundreds of fires, survived near death incidents, crawled down burning hallways, met unforgettable characters, and witnessed the 9/11 terrorist attack. From working in glittering mid-Manhattan high-rises to squalid ghetto tenements, he saw how people in crisis lived and survived and how the firefighters who served them worked and bonded. Exploring both the positive and controversial aspects of being a firefighter, this no-holds barred memoir provides an honest account of an unusual occupation that outsiders seldom get to see.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476679884
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	03/05/2020
Pages:	213
Sales rank:	720,956
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.43(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Thomas Dunne is a retired deputy chief and 33 year veteran of the New York City Fire Department. He has published numerous articles for fire service publications and is currently lecturing about his experiences in the FDNY through his Third Alarm Fire Training presentations. Visit his website at www.chieftomdunne.com.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Author's Note x

Preface 1

The Smoke House 5

Seeing the Elephant 11

This Guy's Light 15

The 15/16ths Jewel 21

The Scuttle 24

The Wrapper 33

The Guys (and Gals) 41

What's Behind Door Number 2? 49

Celebrity Steam Leaks 54

Going Down 57

Hey Lieu! 63

Buffs 71

What If? 77

A Discourse on Dirt 83

A Brush with Mortality 88

Lost in Translation 94

Letters in the Attic 100

A Jane Doe 105

Commanding Stress 108

Thinking Like an Incident Commander 114

On the Circuit 122

The Lie 129

Zen and the Art of Firefighting 134

The Write Stuff 139

A Midnight Clear 144

And Now, Live on Scene… 150

The Day After 155

We're Only Human 162

The Papers 168

Mentors and Maniacs 175

My Two Worlds 182

Let It Burn 185

Leaving the Tribe 190

Why Me? 195

Final Thoughts 197

Index 199

Editorial Reviews

A must in any firefighters library... [Dunne] provides opinion, advice and tactical considerations well worth all our reading.”—Fire Fighters Close Calls

From the Publisher