Publishers Weekly 10/14/74 Rescue Squad Larry Ferazani, MORROW An engrossing report of an unusual firefighting unit working in the shadow of Harvard, written by a man who has a love-hate relationship with his job. More philosophical than Dennis Smith in his best seller “Report from Engine Company 82,” Ferazani would agree with Smith that firefighting is the most misunderstood and underrated job in the country. The Cambridge Rescue truck packs the usual fire gear but it is also stocked with sophisticated medical equipment. Besides answering fire alarms, it is called upon to assist victims of auto accidents drug users, attempted suicides and to quell Harvard Yard riots. The squad has freed a pregnant woman from a stalled elevator and given advice on a sick cat. Staffed by volunteers from the fire department, it takes dangerous and often repugnant tasks in its stride. Ferazani believes that such units set up on a national scale would be invaluable. While reporting his many exciting experiences he tells how the job affects his private life. Boston Globe by Patrick McGilligan In the middle of the night,” he writes, “I still wonder sometimes if I am doing the right thing. To reach out, to help people, to find someone on the verge of death and be able to bring him back-for me, that’s a miracle. But how often can you come face to face with the endless fact of pain and death without losing courage in life. “That his book even considers such delicate questions, aside from its documentary capacity’s a tribute to its worth as a minor sketch of Americana.” Dennis Smith Rescue Squad is a clear, gripping account about a group of extraordinary men who save lives as fireman and minister to the injured as paramedics. It is at times funny, at times sad, but always interesting and beautifully told.

"A rescue squad saves a girl and her dog from their crashed sailboat during a storm"--

In the foothills of the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains a volunteer rescue squad must contend not only with the stressful situations of their work but also the evil corruption of the County leadership. While removing friends and family from the wreckage of automobile accidents they stumble into a money-laundering scheme involving the Gambino crime family. As in real life, this tale is a mixture of humor and tragedy. Ultimately there is a violent resolution but then, “violence is as American as apple pie.”

Chief Ray Downey has developed city and national rescue teams, and has been involved in numerous rescue operations, including the bombing of the World Trade Center, the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, and various natural disasters. He offers guidelines and recommendations on how to start a rescue company, the equipment needed, and the operational planning that is necessary for company development. Specific rescue company response incidents are also discussed.

An unvarnished family memoir of three generations of Irish-Catholic Boston firemen