Books from the Newark Fire Department Oral History Project
Springfield and Hunterdon Publishing is proud to announce the publication of:
Equipment: Volume III of the Newark Fire Department Oral History The Firehouse Fraternity. (215 pages)
From Ahrens-Fox rigs with chain drives, open cabs, steering wheels on the right, and firefighters hanging on the back step to the air conditioned crew cabs of today, trucks used by the NFD are recalled by the men who drove them. The turn out gear worn to protect them while crawling through burning buildings is described, as is the evolution of the hose they pulled in with them. If you ever wondered what it was like to drive a rig with mechanical brakes and manual steering to a fire or drag 2 1/2" line up three flights of stairs, this book is for you. Follow the men of the NFD as they move from wooden ladders, rotary or piston positive displacement pumps, and filtered masks to today's modern rigs and positive pressure self contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs).
Members of the
NFD appointed between 1942 and 1978 remember from the days of iron men and
wooden ladders when masks were rarely worn to the present day of PEOSHA
regulations and enclosed air conditioned crew cabs. The evolution of rigs,
turn-out gear, hose and nozzles, and ladders and tools is discussed, showing
the steady progress of the fire service over the last half of the 20th
century and into the new millennium. The only thing that hasn’t
changed through these decades is the dedication of firefighters.
Price: $14.01 New Jersey Residents must add $.99 sales tax.
Life
Between Alarms: Volume II of the Newark Fire Department Oral
History The Firehouse Fraternity. (298 pages)
Read what life was like in Newark’s firehouses while waiting for the
bell to hit. “Life Between Alarms” takes
you into the private world of the firehouse where firemen eat, sleep, drill,
and do the housework (Someone has to clean the place). The bonds formed last a
lifetime as do the laughs (boys will be boys).
Members of the NFD appointed from 1942 to 1978 talk about the daily routine of the firehouse, the responsibilities of the housed watch, the unique camaraderie shared by firefighters, studying for promotion and then adjusting to new responsibilities after being promoted, and finally the humor used by firemen to break up the monotony of waiting for the "big one." Find out what it was like to be a member of the "best men's club in the world."
Price: $15.42 New Jersey Residents must add $1.08 sales tax.
Becoming a Firefighter: Volume I of the Newark Fire
Department Oral History The Firehouse
Fraternity.
(246 pages)
Why would anyone want to be a firefighter? If this question intrigues you, read on.
This book will bring back personal memories to firefighters who read it. For those of you who are trying to understand why anyone would want to be a fireman, "Becoming a Firefighter" will introduce you to the special breed who quietly protect us everyday.
Members of the NFD appointed from 1942 to 1978 recount their impressions of the city where most of them grew up. The why and how of getting on the job are remembered; as are training experiences, the make up
of the department they joined, the hours they worked, and the salary they earned.
Read the words of men from every rank of Newark's bravest as they tell of their efforts to get on “the best damn job in the
world.”
Price: $14.01
New Jersey residents must add $.99 sales tax
Members of the Newark Fire
Department were in a unique position to view the tragedy of the
Newark riots as
they unfolded around them. Their
firehouses were part of the neighborhoods wracked by the rioting. The community imploding before them had
pulsed passed the firehouse doors the days and weeks prior to the
eruption. Primarily based on interviews
with Newark firefighters who lived through the disturbances, this book
recounts the experiences of the men who responded to the pulled fireboxes,
fought the fires, and endured the wrath of rioters. The view is at ground level, eye to eye with
the disaster that engulfed Newark
those four hot July nights in 1967. Fire is the most commonly used tool of rioters and protesters, yet the role of the NFD during this tumultuous period has been overlooked repeatedly by historians. This book is an attempt to correct this oversight.
Included is an appendix containing the verbatim journal entries of twelve of the companies that responded to the fires and other emergencies handled by the NFD during the disturbances that July.
Price: $13.55 New Jersey residents must add $.95 sales tax.
Equipment: Volume III of the Newark Fire Department Oral History The Firehouse Fraternity. (215 pages)
Life
Between Alarms: Volume II of the Newark Fire Department Oral
History The Firehouse Fraternity. (298 pages)
Becoming a Firefighter: Volume I of the Newark Fire
Department Oral History The Firehouse
Fraternity.
(246 pages)
A View from the Firehouse: The Newark Riots.