Ghosts of the fireground by Peter M. Leschak

On October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire killed 300 people. We’ve all heard of this fire, and National Fire Safety Week actually commemorates it. But on the same day, a wildfire consumed the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin killing almost the entire population (estimated to be between 1500 and 2500 people). An accurate count was impossible due to the fact that the firestorm turned bodies to ash which blew away in the wind. The fire even killed fish underwater in the river that ran through town.

This book tells two stories: the story of Father Peter Pernin who survived the Peshtigo Fire, and the author’s story of fighting wildfire. Both are interesting and at times incredibly compelling.

“Each year I train rookies and tell them the truth: wildland firefighting is mostly dirt and drudgery. You do it for the 5 percent of the time when it's the best gig in the world; for the peak experience moments when all other vocations are as ashes beneath your boots; for the days when you feel sorry for the poor saps who opted for law school, med school, or Silicon Valley; for the brutal hours when the pain is so intense it shades into a kind of ecstasy; for the dreadful/wonderful moments when fear makes you so alive you simply cannot die.”

Recommended for all ranks (because as a member of the fire profession, we should have a knowledge of our history.)