In October 1871, a massive forest fire incinerated the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin. It was the deadliest fire in North American history, an event so intense that its release of energy was not approximated until the advent of thermo-nuclear weapons. At least 1,200 people perished—some in bizarre and disturbing ways—and the actual number of fatalities is unknown, perhaps as many as 1,500 were lost. Since the Great Chicago Fire occurred at the same time, Peshtigo was overshadowed and almost forgotten. In 2000, veteran wild-land firefighter Peter Leschak was faced with a hot and challenging fire season, tasked with the leadership of a helitack crew—an airborne fire team expected to be the “tip of the spear” on wildfire initial attacks. During that long summer he studied Father Peter Pernon’s eyewitness account of the Pehstigo holocaust, and using his knowledge and experience as a firefighter, Leschak placed himself in Pernin’s shoes, as much as possible being transported to the firestorm of 1871. Ghosts of the Fireground tells both tales: the horrific saga of Peshtigo, and the modern battles of a wildfire helicopter crew, seamlessly intertwining the stories to enhance them both.

A novelist and historian team up to tell the story of the October 1871 fire in the lumber town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, vividly re-creating the personal and political battles leading to this monumental natural disaster, and delivering it from the lost annals of American history. 16-page insert. 3 maps.

Biography of experiences by an American living in Southeast Turkey and Northern Iraq during and after the first Gulf War.

Up-to-date, broad-based training for fire service candidates and in-service professionals! Comprehensive coverage--from fire basics to fire department operations- and based on objectives established by the National Fire Academy. Written by experienced fire service faculty from colleges and fire departments, Fundamentals of Fire Protection provides a solid introduction to the full range of fire protection topics. Designed for classroom instruction or self-study, this authoritative resource is a suggested text for the model FESHE curriculum course Principles of Emergency Services (formerly Fundamentals of Fire Protection). It is i deal for students preparing to enter the field or fire protection professionals who want to advance their career. Fundamentals is the only text organized around the Principles of Emergency Services course developed by the National Fire Academy's Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) Conference. Comprised of faculty from over 100 institutions of higher learning with a fire science curriculum, FESHE's model curriculum sets uniform objectives for quality fire and emergency services education. Fundamentals of Fire Protection's 12 chapters are designed for a 12- or 13-week semester of study. Each chapter features measurable educational objectives based on those developed by FESHE, review questions with answer key, and student activities. Easy for instructors to use and for students to understand.

On August 25, 1931, five men died fighting the devastating Waldron Creek Fire west of Choteau, Montana. Lacking training and preparation, Herbert Novotny, Frank Williamson, Hjalmer G. Gunnarson, Ted Bierchen and Charles Allen dashed into the flames and never stood a chance. The Teton County coroner added insult to injury, noting that each had "no one to blame but himself." Three men were buried in unmarked graves. Records show that the body of the fifth was returned to his family, but no burial site is known. Only one has a headstone. National Smokejumper Association chief historian Dr. Charles Palmer shines a light on this important story, finally honoring the heroic sacrifice that led to critical changes in wildland firefighting.

"True survival odysseys of two wilderness adventurers who entered the woods in search of tranquility-- but found something else entirely"--Page 4 of cover.