It was a brutally cold January day in the 1950s as Chick Gallin marched through his last week of training at the Probationary Fire School on Welfare Island, New York. When a full borough alarm sounded, he and the other trainees piled onto open trucks to respond. As they arrived on scene, building after building was on fire. As he stood in the heart of the chaotic scene, Gallin was officially initiated into an exciting yet dangerous life as a first responder.

In a collection of true tales, Gallin shares a candid portrayal of the life of a New York City firefighter during two-plus decades. Throughout his anecdotes, he details what it is like to rush inside a burning, smoke-filled building and follow the hose to find an exit, deal with the fear of explosions, proceed through blackness to reach victims and then perform CPR, attempt to attain shut-eye between raising a young family and responding to alarms, inhale black smoke into the lungs, and precariously balance on an icy ladder in the lonely darkness of a windy night.

A Fireman’s Story shares true tales of a New York firefighter’s experiences during his two-plus decades as a first responder.