Engine 24

"On the night of May 27, 1964, thousands of New York City residents, whose dwellings overlook the Hudson River in lower Manhattan, had ringside seats for a spectacular wind-fanned waterfront fire that lit up the Jersey shore. A fire that, before it was brought under control some hours later, taxed the combined efforts of four FDNY marine companies, five FDNY Engine companies, 16 JCFD fire companies, 14 Coast Guard vessels, and 21 Pennsylvania R.R. tug boats.

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.

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 second book about the men alongside whom I worked, facing dangerous situations daily. This book is a compilation of eight short fire stories written between 1963 and 1972, from notes I wrote after returning from fires.

In this book, the era of Kennedy's assassination, race riots, and looting are related through the eyes of a NYC firefighter. Joe Corso describes where he was and what the reactions of the firemen and officers were the day that President Kennedy was killed. The author describes what it felt like to be detailed to La Casa Grande - "The Big House". Engine 82 was one of the busiest fire companies in the world during the race riots of the '60s.