Being a firefighter is one of the most dangerous and challenging jobs in the United States. It is physically demanding, mentally stressful, and occupationally hazardous. A mistake could cost a firefighter severe injury or even his life. Worse, it might cause someone else—the public or a fellow firefighter—injury or death.
The challenges were what attracted Benjamin O’Brien to the job. It combined public service with a job that fully tested his abilities. O’Brien was not just a firefighter. He served as one in a major American city, the nation’s largest force, the big leagues of firefighting. He recounts his career as a firefighter in this moving and insightful memoir.
