Engine 24: Fire Stories

Every firefighter has a treasure trove of interesting stories to tell and the stories more often than not are instructional, as well as exciting. When I was a firefighter, I kept notes of the fires I responded to. Now that I am retired, I have reflected on my career as a firefighter and have written a book about the men alongside whom I worked, facing dangerous situations daily.

This book is a compilation of five FIRE short stories written between 1964 and 1972, from notes I wrote after returning from fires.

"FIRE: Box 598" tells the tragic story where 12 New York City firefighters lost their lives in a fire. The short book won the Readers Favorite 2013 award in the short story category.

"FIRE: Trapped on the Fourth Floor" takes place in the mid-1960s and was written from notes I took after the fire. While the story was still fresh in my mind, I added a sub-story about a friend of mine who I worked with in the FDNY. While searching through boxes I hadn't opened in decades, I came across notes about the day I drove my buddy Joe Black to the hospital and I decided to honor his memory by including a few words about what happened that day in this short story.

"FIRE: The Bouncing Lieutenant" occurred at the Keneret Restaurant cellar fire on Jane Street in lower Manhattan and was taken from notes written by me almost a half century ago. As I wrote this story, the memories of that night came flooding back in vivid detail. I hope that I have successfully captured and conveyed the drama of the moment to the listener.

"FIRE: The Broadway Central Hotel"

"FIRE: Mutual Aid"