My Top Ten

Lists of the top ten this or that have been the rage for years, and fodder for great fun and debate.   I decided to add to the noise with a selection of my Top Ten Fire Service reads.  This is totally subjective and personal, and is my list today.  It could change tomorrow.  Everyone out there can and probably would come up with a different list.   

My list is hopelessly prejudiced because of two selections I would automatically make.  The books below are not in any particular order. 

·         Report From Engine Company 82—Dennis Smith

·         Fireground Tactics—Emanuel Fried

·         Firefight:  Inside the Battle to Save the Pentagon on 9/11—Patrick Creed and Rick Newman

·         D.C. Fire—Dennis Rubin

·         Last Men Out:  Life on the Edge at Rescue 2 Firehouse—Tom Downey

·         Population 485-Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time—Michael Perry

·         Thirty Years on the Line—Leo Stapleton

·         B-Shifter:  A Firefighter’s Memoir—Nick Brunacini 

·         Mayday! Firefighter Down—Gary Ryman

·         Fire Men:  Stories From Three Generations of a Firefighting Family—Gary Ryman

This is an eclectic list and includes some works that many may have never heard of, much less read.  Some haven’t been in print for a while (but may be available on the used market).  Only one is a true “tactics and strategy” book—introduced to me by my Dad over 30 years ago.  It was good then and is still relevant now.  There’s not a book on this list I haven’t read multiple times.   

I hope to see other lists and hopefully at least one of mine will make it! 

 

Here are some links to a few of the above. 

 

Mayday! Firefighter Down

 

Fire Men: Stories From Three Generations of a Firefighting Family

 

D.C. Fire

 

Report From Engine Company 82

 

Firefight: Inside the Battle to Save the Pentagon on 9/11

 

 

 

 

 

December 6th Book Signing B&B Family Restaurant

Can't wait for some great food, great friends, and a wonderful atmosphere.  If you're in the area, stop by.  Great convenient location right off Interstate 81 in Northeastern Pennsylvania. 

Recent Event

Some great shots from the book signing at the Tavern at Fire Station 1 on Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, MD with Chief Dennis Rubin. 

With Chief Rubin and Tami Bulla, President, Burtonsville Fire Department, Station 15, Montgomery County, MD

Joint Book Signing Event Next Weekend

I'll be signing copies of my new novel Mayday! Firefighter Down as well as  Fire Men: Stories From Three Generations of a Firefighting Family with Chief Dennis Rubin, formerly of DCFD, at The Tavern at Fire Station 1 on Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring. Hoping for a great turn out.

Mayday! Firefighter Down is out.

Now available on Amazon in softcover  and  Kindle versions.  Also available on Barnes & Noble
in both softcover and Nook options. 

Get your copy today! 

 

Now Available for Pre-Order....Mayday! Firefighter Down.

My new novel Mayday! Firefighter Down is now available for pre-order on the publisher's website.  It should be out on Amazon and Barnes & Noble in a few weeks. 

Mayday! Firefighter Down

Coming Soon....Mayday! Firefighter Down

More cover work is underway.  Here's the front, back, and spine. 

 

And here's what they're saying about the book!

 

"Ryman hits one out of the park…. In Mayday! Firefighter Down you will see life though a firefighters eyes, but with a new twist. From the first dispatch, to the jaw dropping ending (or is it), Ryman takes you on a thrilling journey as a Truck Officer in a busy fire station, plagued by an arsonist.  Mayday! Firefighter Down is a compelling read; once you start you won’t want to put it down!"

Fred Bales, CFPS, CFI

PA Senior Fire/Public Safety Instructor

“Chief Gary Ryman’s latest book, Mayday! Firefighter Down is an incredible read.  The Chief has blended…all of the elements of a great American novel into this one including; Mystery, Murder, Greed, A Sexy Love Story and Great Fire Fighting Action.  Once I started this book, it was difficult putting it down.  Gary has captured the essence of what a firefighter does in a twenty-four hour shift, better than just about any other description.  The reality is non-fire service folks will be able to understand what we do, without losing the interest of the Firehouse Jake’s and Firehouse Jane's that take this amazing journey in Mayday! Firefighter Down….  This books should be required reading for all aspiring and new fire fighters”.  

Chief Dennis Rubin

 

"Mayday! Firefighter Down is a great read in the genre of Dennis Smith’s Steely Blue and shouldn’t be missed. Ryman kept the firefighter in me interested and the writer in me waiting to see what happens next." 

Deputy Chief Michael “Mick” Mayers

Firehousezen.com

 

 

A New Way of Training: Changing How We Think

Just about two weeks ago, I had the great opportunity to discuss fire service training on the Fire Engineering radio show hosted by Chief Dennis Rubin along with Chiefs P.J. Norwood, Jonathan Riffe, and Lieutenant Frank Ricci.  The questions and discussions were thought provoking.  For myself, I tried to concentrate my comments beyond the day to day tactical training areas which, while critically important, were covered exceptionally well by my fellow participants.  Instead, I tried to focus on an area I see as under discussed—advanced education.   

It’s not sexy and certainly not as “fun” as live fire evolutions, firefighter survival, or even the bread and butter practice of advancing lines or throwing ladders.  What it is, though, is critical for the “business” of the fire service.   

The importance of lifelong learning cannot be over emphasized.  The next generation of fire service leaders will be confronted with a spectrum of problems only some of which we can imagine.  Others will reveal themselves over time.  Managing the “all hazards” response agency that fire departments have become in a continuing era of increasing demands and highly pressured financial resources will need a new problem solving paradigm.  This won’t come about by simply repeating what we’ve done in the past, as good as it may have been.  It will require a new generation of strategic multi-dimensional thinkers.  The military has understood this for decades, sending officers for advanced degrees in a multitude of disciplines at “civilian” universities.   

I’ve argued before, college level classes, particularly in the humanities, won’t teach you to handle a nozzle better, but if you let them, they will teach you to think, to examine and solve problems differently.  Problem solving, with the challenges of the future, will be a skill of paramount importance.  

A thought process which looks at problems from a historical perspective, from one of engineering and mathematics, business and statistics, and puts all these pieces together, will help bring new and innovative solutions to the forefront.  The catch phrase “thinking outside the box” is easy to say, but much harder to do.  Non fire related classes teach some of these alternative problem solving methods, how to look at issues from other directions and perspectives—essentially a new and different way to think.   

The next generation of leaders will need not only to be great firefighters and command officers; they will need to be outstanding writers, politicians, accountants, business managers, and strategic planners. 

Fire Engineering Radio Appearance

Had a great time talking with Chief Dennis Rubin the other night about training and other fire service issues as well as "Fire Men: Stories From Three Generations of a Firefighting Family."  Click the link below to listen to the show.

Fire Engineering Radio Appearance