Fighting Fire

Rating:
Summary: Superb book
Review: This superb "personal story" chronicles the adventures of Caroline Paul as she applies to, and joins, the SFFD as one of its first women firefighters. The story is a somewhat quick read, but very well-written, and gives the reader a sense of what it's like to be a firefighter, along with her personal experiences and reflections on her acculturation into what she first thought of as the "racist, sexist, fire department."
Paul skillfully combines her own story with the stories of others and history into a compelling account. She doesn't fall into the trap of assigning "good" and "bad" to people. She almost always explains the lingo she uses -- waiting, however, til the end to explain what a "full box" call is, and waiting to explain why firefighters (somewhat counter-intuitively) ventilate fires. At least a few photos would be helpful, too -- at least of the media event where she and her sister persuaded the government to release her animal rights-protestor brother from jail, and of the equipment and techniques she describes.
As a final note, the author photo appears to be of the author, in lipstick and make-up, daubed with a bit of dark smudge, wearing her fire helmet. Is the photo really meant to represent how she appears at work?

Rating:
Summary: Superb book
Review: This superb "personal story" chronicles the adventures of Caroline Paul as she applies to, and joins, the SFFD as one of its first women firefighters. The story is a somewhat quick read, but very well-written, and gives the reader a sense of what it's like to be a firefighter, along with her personal experiences and reflections on her acculturation into what she first thought of as the "racist, sexist, fire department."
Paul skillfully combines her own story with the stories of others and history into a compelling account. She doesn't fall into the trap of assigning "good" and "bad" to people. She almost always explains the lingo she uses -- waiting, however, til the end to explain what a "full box" call is, and waiting to explain why firefighters (somewhat counter-intuitively) ventilate fires. At least a few photos would be helpful, too -- at least of the media event where she and her sister persuaded the government to release her animal rights-protestor brother from jail, and of the equipment and techniques she describes.
As a final note, the author photo appears to be of the author, in lipstick and make-up, daubed with a bit of dark smudge, wearing her fire helmet. Is the photo really meant to represent how she appears at work?

Rating:
Summary: Take the good with the bad
Review: Whah, whah, whah. How about some food with that whine. I, too, am in the fire service (I am a volunteer firefighter/emt). My first problem with the book is her hints at her bisexuality. While I have no problem with alternate lifestyles, what did this add to the story? There are enough perceptions about female firefighters without butressing the perception that feminine, heterosexual women can't be good firefighters. I also really get steamed over individuals who portray the fire service as a "boy's club" that wants to and successfully does exclude women. I am sure that she did experience significant segregation and discrimination. I have received ill treatment while in the fire service but nine times out of ten it has been from other women. Once they see you are going to pull your weight and not drag them down, most of the guy's are more than happy to have you out there. A lot of times they are just wary of being caught up in a lawsuit over harassment(while there are justified suits, many others are from individuals wanting to profit from our overly litigious society). Firefighting is hard!! Sometimes it takes a hard manner to deal with it. To her credit, Ms. Paul did describe many of the situations and circumstances faced by firefighters. After reading her book, it is clear she dealt with "strangers". I wonder how she would deal with medical runs and fires involving her family and friends, as we have to do on our department.

Rating:
Summary: Take the good with the bad
Review: Whah, whah, whah. How about some food with that whine. I, too, am in the fire service (I am a volunteer firefighter/emt). My first problem with the book is her hints at her bisexuality. While I have no problem with alternate lifestyles, what did this add to the story? There are enough perceptions about female firefighters without butressing the perception that feminine, heterosexual women can't be good firefighters. I also really get steamed over individuals who portray the fire service as a "boy's club" that wants to and successfully does exclude women. I am sure that she did experience significant segregation and discrimination. I have received ill treatment while in the fire service but nine times out of ten it has been from other women. Once they see you are going to pull your weight and not drag them down, most of the guy's are more than happy to have you out there. A lot of times they are just wary of being caught up in a lawsuit over harassment(while there are justified suits, many others are from individuals wanting to profit from our overly litigious society). Firefighting is hard!! Sometimes it takes a hard manner to deal with it. To her credit, Ms. Paul did describe many of the situations and circumstances faced by firefighters. After reading her book, it is clear she dealt with "strangers". I wonder how she would deal with medical runs and fires involving her family and friends, as we have to do on our department.

Rating:
Summary: Not the whole story, one suspects
Review: While generally well written--and certainly informative--Paul occasionally devolves into rather mindless and somewhat self-aggrandizing rhetoric. Far more interesting and humorous stories can be found in Tangherlini's "Talking Trauma" published by the University Press of Mississippi.