New York City Firefighting 1901-2001
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By Steven Scher
The story of firefighting in New York City is one of danger, tradition, pride, excitement, and tragedy. It is also the story of man's triumph over destructive forces.
From the gaslight days of horse-drawn steam fire engines to the World Trade Center tragedy of 2001, the heroic men and women who make up the city's most dynamic public service have risked and often lost their lives in order to protect and serve the people of New York City.
New York City Firefighting 1901-2001 chronicles the proudest fire department in America.
The close proximity of buildings in the city streets and the construction materials made each fire especially dangerous, but determined firefighters never hesitated to battle the flames and rescue the victims. Later, facing unprecedented heights and unparalleled danger, firefighters in New York City were called upon to battle infernos in the first skyscrapers, often using the most rudimentary equipment and barely protected from the flames.
In its most trying moments, the Fire Department of New York responded to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 1993 and 2001, dutifully rushing into the towers to save as many lives as possible and ultimately losing hundreds of their own.
About the Author: Author and photographer Steven Scher was born and raised in The Bronx. He has been photographing fires and firefighters for forty years. He served as a fire alarm dispatcher for the FDNY and at one time was its deputy press secretary. A photographer for Mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins and an Honorary Deputy Chief, Scher has written numerous articles on the history of the fire department. His first book, Fire!, published in 1978 with an introduction by Jimmy Breslin, is considered an FDNY classic.
