I Love a Fire Fighter: What the Family Needs to Know

I have used this book in my university course for 7 years. It is a big hit for traditional students wanting to become firefighters and non-traditional students who are on the job, but back in college to advance their education. I require my students to go on a ride-along and write a paper on their experiences. At the end of class, students provide critique of the class and comments on the course regarding their greatest insights. A student once wrote:“ I also really enjoyed the ride-along experience. As I sat in the firehouse waiting for a call, I felt like it was literally a scene out of Kirschmann’s book, I love a firefighter. It really pulled everything together for me, getting to experience a day with the paramedic/firefighters, especially since I had no prior experience in the field.”I regularly receive good comments about this book and her other one: I love a cop.

This book is written from the perspective of a single man and his family. It details things that are specific to his department. This is the opportunity to sit with your loved ones, parents, spouses, children, siblings, etc and discuss how your department mirrors and differs from the departments referenced in this book. Certain details are not always applicable to everyone, but the spirit is the same. The trials and tribulations are great examples that have significant knowledge and opportunity to learn. It will take some effort to extract what each reader needs for themselves, but it is worth the time and effort.This book should not be read just as it is and taken at face value, it needs to be discussed, re-read, re-discussed, etc and can serve as a career-long and lifelong reference.

This is a wonderful book for anyone with a firefighter in their family. It is full of practical information as well as background on the culture and history of the fire fighting profession. The list of tips at the end of each chapter is really helpful. I was first recommended the "I love a Cop" book by this same author when I was seeing a therapist a few years ago for some guidance in my relationship with my husband firefighter. I liked that book, but was delighted to discover a book specifically for firefighters. It's also a good resource for the firefighter himself (or herself) - not just for the family outside the firefighting profession. Fire departments would do well to purchase a copy of this book for all new hires.

This is an excellent book for first responders, especially firefighters and their families and loved ones. It explores the special stresses on families of firefighters and offers practical solutions. Thanks to the Bon Secours Hospital system, every member of the most recent graduating class received a copy of this book. Our chaplains share insights from this book with firefighters and their families. The author is a psychologist who has carefully researched her subject. The book is highly recommended. The Rev. Dr. Bruce A. Gray Chaplain, Richmond Fire Dept.

My fiance found this book to be really helpful. It really helped to fill in the gaps. She's heard more stories about the job but not enough about why we love the job or how we got there. The book explains everything from the hiring process to daily life with a firefighter. She really enjoys the real stories by other wives and how they handle different situations. She understands now why we become quiet about certain things and why we won't stop going on about other stuff. It may seem a little corny to buy a book with a title like this for your significant other but I am sure glad I did!

My Son and my now ( ex-husband) work for cal-fire and this book was right on the button, about the relationships between the men with their station family members and their Home, spouse and family members. It touched on pretty much everything I have experienced, and lived thru with my Ex. And what I help my son with as a captain for cal-fire. Great read, every husband or wife of a firefighter, should read this book, an eye opener as to what the guys, and gals go thru.

I bought this book for my wife because she wanted to see what my job was like. She has read through it and really likes it. It has kind of opened her eyes to the job and helped her to see a little bit what it is all about. She would recommend this book to anyone.

the gal to whom I gave this book is engaged to my nephew who is a city firefighter for a large city in Ohio. She was thrilled to get it and wanted to know where I had found a copy as she had been looking for books like this.

As a wife of a firefighter I think it is hard to get a third persons perspective of what it is truly like to be a wife. This needs to come from those women who are in the trenches supporting, managing and keeping the home intact