Connections Magazine feature

Connections Magazine
November 2011

Local Author Book Debut
Fire Men: Stories from Three Generations of a Firefighting Family

The debut book by a local author has recently been published. Fire Men: Stories from Three Generations of a Firefighting Family by Gary Ryman, a Connections Magazine contributing writer, was recently released by Tribute Books.

This book tells the stories and experiences of three generations of firefighters of which Gary is the second. It relates the good, bad, ugly and funny aspects of firefighting and how those experiences affect firefighters. Being both the son and father of firefighters gives Ryman an unusual perspective. From the suburban areas of upstate New York to the fast paced suburbs of Washington, D.C. to the rural hills of northeastern Pennsylvania, the stories range from the tragic to the comic. Many of the stories involve incidents in northeastern Pennsylvania where the second generation ended up holding ranks from firefighter to Chief of Department, and the third generation began as a firefighter. The book is available in both paperback and ebook versions from Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. For more information, visit www.fire-men-book.com.

"Follow 'Fire Men' as they crawl down a hot, smoke filled hallway, rescue the trapped and injured, and carry you through a legacy of three generations of hometown heroes. It's filled with stories of courage, compassion, community, and the camaraderie that is forged only between those who have fought fire - and lived to tell about it."

What People Are Saying:

“This guy caught a lot of fire. Fire Men is a must-read around the firehouse. Gary Ryman is a master storyteller."
-Tiger Schmittendorf, Chief Storyteller, RuntotheCurb.com

“I think the book shows the true meaning of learning, sharing, devotion and motivation. I really think it should be on every probies list, as it shows the good, the bad and the ugly of what emergency responders go through, and like anything, we remember the good times and the good friendships more than the bad...Congrats on a winner....A great book....What I liked best was remembering a lot of those incidents, by either the war stories shortly afterward or seeing it on the news. A lot of those were back in the Good Days, when men were men and probies understood they didn't know everything. All in all, it tops my lists of the many fire books I have read over the years."
-Dave CHICO Richards, Pa. State Fire Inst. Emeritus, 43fire.com

“As someone who also comes from a multi-generation fire service family, I appreciate how well Gary Ryman captures his family’s dedication and commitment to their fire department and community. Fire service families everywhere will relate to Gary’s stories.”
-Gary Keith, Vice President of Field Operations, National Fire Protection Association

“From the first page, Ryman hits the nail on the head. He provides a riveting look at the fire service as a whole, and the evolution of the business over the last three decades. Every fire fighter should read this. Old ones to reminisce, young ones to appreciate where we came from.”
-Fred Bales, CFPS, CFI, Pennsylvania Senior Fire and Public Safety Instructor & Past Chief, Greenfield Fire Company, Greenfield, PA