Fighting Fire

Rating:
Summary: She holds out on us
Review: I caught the local buzz about this book, and it sounded promising: the story of one of the first women to join the ranks of a fire department reputed to be a bastion of sexism, racism and white-male, blue-collar conservatism. Add to that the facts that she's highly educated, beautiful, lesbian and progressive, and it sounds like a must-read!

The problem is, she spends most of the book on the specifics of fighting fires and performing rescues-something other firefighters can tell us. I wanted the story that only Caroline Paul can tell, but all my questions went unanswered. Is the SFFD as bad as it's portrayed in the media, or is that an unfair generalization? I still don't know. She mentions a couple of instances of open hostility, but then drops the subject as if it were too unpleasant or insignificant, leaving me wondering what happened next.

What went through her mind as she braved the real or imagined antagonism of her co-workers? She doesn't really say. How did! she go from being a reluctant applicant to a seasoned firefighter? It just kind of magically happens.

I had hoped to read the story of a hero I could relate to. I got half of that: she IS a hero(ine), but I can't relate to her. She loves danger, craves physical challenges, and is unmoved by the goriest experiences-and in that sense she's not an outsider at all within the department. I had hoped for a well-written, compelling story, and I got half of that as well: Paul is a good writer (albeit in need of a copy editor), but her story lacks depth and reveals little of her.

Paul dedicates her book to her fellow firefighters, and I can't help imagining that that loyalty weighs heavily on her mind. This book doesn't make any waves.

Rating:
Summary: wow wow WOW
Review: I did not expect to like this book but it was thrust into my hands by a friend who demanded: Read this. I dreaded a long technical discourse on fire trucks and the mechanics of fire but i instead got an eminently readable book about how a young woman matures under trying but exciting circumstances. Caroline Paul is in the beginning a likeable but arrogant, affluent preppie who, fearing the inevitable "trajectory" her life is taking towards a corporate desk job, falls into the blue collar world of firefighting. There she learns that life is much more complicated - and more poignant - than she had ever imagined. We follow her as she sees her first dead body, understands for the first time in her life what it is to be an "outsider" (and rather philosophically claims that it is good for her!), and goes into the deep, hot, black of a fire building. I cried when the babies died, laughed as the firehouse culture leapt from the page, and in the end rooted for the narrator to come to terms with herself. I stayed up all night reading it and I recommend it (with a loud guffaw and a hearty slap on the back)to all non-firefighters!

Rating:
Summary: Unexpected, searing tale of fire, prejudice, human failings
Review: I left ``Fighting Fire'' with one complaint. I wanted 300more pages of Caroline Paul's surprise punches, unexpected emotionsand searing tales of everything from delivering the babies of heroin addicts in the Mission District, to diving into impossible flames to find a Cambodian father's missing son. I also felt implicated by the larger story, wherein Paul prosecutes her own preconceived notioins about becoming one of the first female firefighters in San Francisco - and thereby nailed all of us who presume right and wrong are easily defined by color, gender and court order. The story, down to the surprise ending, moves like a four-alarm fire in gasoline refinnery. And the prose marks Paul as one of the finest new voices to emerge in the 1990s. Give us more.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected--but well worth reading
Review: I picked up FIGHTING FIRE after reading about Caroline Paul in People Magazine. I was interested in reading about how she, a lesbian brave enough to be out nationally, has dealt with issues many of us (as lesbians) have to face--with family, friends, and in the workplace. In that respect I was disappointed; not once does the author address this part of her life.

I was impressed with her candid portrayal of life as a firefighter, however. Her passion for firefighting leads her to make some shocking statements--at least from my point of view. While I personally would prefer there were NO accidental fires at all, she welcomes the alarm that announces a fire and is disappointed when the blaze doesn't last long enough for her to participate in putting it out!

This book is certainly an eye-opener for those of us who are not emergency workers ourselves. It is an intense read, it's captivating, and I can definitely recommend it. Perhaps Ms. Paul will write a second book, this time addressing the personal and emotional issues that she skirts in FIGHTING FIRE.

Rating:
Summary: FF/EMT in MN
Review: I wasn't overly impressed with this book. I am an Firefighter and EMT and thought there was to much complaining about it being tougher on women. If you can pull your weight and do your job respectively, you gain the respect of your colleagues. Normally I keep all my books regarding firefighting. I gave this one away because I knew I wouldn't read it again.

Rating:
Summary: She's the problem with Firefighting today
Review: I will not read this book for one glaring reason. The fact she just decided to take the exam to be a firefighter. Firefighting is not just a job you apply for on the moment. It's not even a career path you take. For TRUE firefighters it's a calling in life. If you don't have any background in firefighting, a past interest in firefighting, or at the very least even visited a firehouse, you have no right to apply for the "job", and certainly not to write about it. Firefighting has taken a step backward over the years due to people like this who became one by accident. Are they capable and o.k at it? Sure, are they Great or respected? NO. She'll get away with this "job" and do her 15 maybe 16 years and go off with an disability injury and write another book, The bottom line is she is taking the place of someone who has this calling and could make a difference. Trust me when I say people who are on this job without this "Calling" will ALWAYS be looked at sideways. Believe me people like her stick out like a sore thumb. She's what we call a classic "Benefit Firefighter" She's here for the benefits, retirement package and the decent pay. If you truely love to be a firefighter as I do, do it with passion, integrity and traditional respect. NOT just because you saw a flyer somewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Good Introduction to Fire/EMS
Review: I would recommend this book to anyone in the field who has friends that are curious about the profession. While it's certainly one person's opinion, look past that and it's still a good read. Overall, it gives a good picture of what it's like to fight fire, save lives, and most importantly- live with the tragedy that you witness. I've given this book as a gift to friends who wonder what my job is like. It's entertaining and well written.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: If you are interested in what goes on in a Fire Department from a woman's perspective and see how the issues are delt with, this book is great, she also truely expresses her feelings and makes it very real for the reader to understand.

Rating:
Summary: The real stuff
Review: On every count it's great. Excellent writing, riveting tales to tell. I encountered the San Francisco Fire Department in some depth when I got involved in the earthquake of 89, and then I interviewed some of the firefighters at about the same time Caroline Paul was getting into the game. Everything she tells rings true. A tough, bright woman in a tough job with tough, embattled males---she also tells one of the great feminist stories.

Rating:
Summary: Insightfull, but a bit to risky
Review: Paul's book does cover the reality of "the job" in an old established department. It is tough for anyone today, not just women as she pointed out. The only criticism I found was she will only help perpetuate sterotypes of women firefighter's by her comments of her thoughts and feeling about women. I can say this from my heart being in the servive for 10 years.