Let Burn

In 1985, desiring a meaningful, high-paced career in public service, the author left her university studies to become a firefighter/paramedic. Only the eighth woman hired by the Orlando Fire Department, a highly competitive department steeped in tradition, she excelled, completing an Associates degreee in Fire Science, a Master's degree in public administration, and numerous specialized training courses to prepare her for an administrative position within the department. She spent eleven years with OFD, experiencing a career that was every bit as exciting and challenging as she had sought. In this moving, candid, and eloquent memoir, she recounts her experiences as a firefighter/paramedic, during which time she witnessed aspects of life and death few people are privy to, experiences that shaped her as a professional and as a person. From the rigorous demands of training to the extraordinary calls she responded to, this book details the gratifying aspects of the field, but also demonstrates the precarious nature of the job: a heated altercation at the scene of an industrial fire leads to her losing almost everything she has worked for and the dramatic end of a storied career. In vivid detail, this book provides a firsthand glimpse into the hidden world of firefighting and emergency medicine.