The Last Men Out: Life on the Edge at Rescue 2 Firehouse

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The Last Men Out: Life on the Edge at Rescue 2 Firehouse

Just picked this book up today at the Barnes And Noble in Ramsey, NJ.......I've only read the first chapter so far, but it's shaping up to be an EXCELLENT BOOK! Worth the read, I highly reccomend it especially for any FDNY fans. It's written by Chief Downey's Nephew, who spent a year riding with FDNY Rescue 2.

From Publishers Weekly

Deputy Chief Ray Downey, the most highly decorated firefighter in the history of the FDNY, died during the World Trade Center rescue operations, but months earlier, he had arranged for his nephew, filmmaker Tom Downey, to make a documentary on the emergency experts of Brooklyn's Rescue Company No. 2, the "most active firefighting unit in the city." After the completed film, Still Riding: Rescue Company New York City, aired on September 11, 2002, Tom Downey continued his research, writing about firefighters for the New York Times. For this book, he follows the efforts of the new captain, Phil Ruvolo, to take command and establish a rapport with his men. Interweaving the history and lore of landmark fires with daily chores and rituals, Downey recreates the firehouse's kitchen table banter and sardonic humor. He probes the physical toll and psychological problems firefighters experience, along with the job's dangers: "Crawling in for a job, a fireman would feel the linoleum, think it was safe to enter, and then fall through." Limning individual personalities and capturing the company's camaraderie with amusing anecdotes, Downey's descriptions burn into the pages with searing intensity. Writing with verve and energy in a gritty style, he explores all extremes of the firemen's world, from triumphant moments of heroism to bitter tragedies. The concluding chapters document 9/11 and its aftermath from the firemen's point of view: the "horrible losses" resulting in a massive shortage of qualified firefighters to fill the ranks of the rescue and squad companies. 

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 

About the Author

Tom Downey is a writer-filmmaker who grew up in a family of firefighters. He is also the nephew of the late, legendary Chief Ray Downey, former head of rescue operations for the FDNY, who arranged for Tom to live and work with Rescue 2¹s men in order to make a film (which aired on The Learning Channel). Tom spent a year in the house before 9/11, when his uncle died, and has also been on hand since that disaster. 

Book Description

The inside story of one of America’s most elite firehouses and the extraordinary brotherhood of men who face extreme danger every day

Firefighting is a world of absolutes: evil is a red devil that wants destruction and death, good is a charged hose line, full of water to fight the flames. The best and boldest firefighters in the country, the men of Rescue 2 are hand-picked to fight not just the biggest blazes but any other emergency New York can throw at them. The sheer adrenaline of the job is perfectly captured in the dramatic story of their firehouse, a model for others nationwide--dubbed "the cuisinart" because it slices up new recruits.

The story begins in the late 1990s as Phil Ruvolo takes command just a few years after the departure of Captain Ray Downey, a legendary FDNY leader. Ruvolo inherits a stubborn group of vets, many still loyal to Downey. He also steps into a firehouse mourning the recent loss of a brother-- Rescue 2's first fire fatality since the 1950s.

Tom Downey takes us into the fireman’s world: the smell of their coats after a good fire, the hardened eyes of a veteran after a fellow fireman’s death, the humor and camaraderie. His firemen are not cardboard heroes; they’re a group of gritty, larger-than-life personalities brought together by dedication and a mission to save lives. Rescue 2 doesn’t leave a fire until everybody’s safe. They’re the last men out. Theirs is an inspiring story destined to become a classic.

[RES20CUE 40]

Thanks for the info Seth.

I saw the movie, now I'll get the book! My wife should be pretty interested as well, her cousin was one of those murdered on 9/11 from R2.

[Guest pentax02839]

sounds like a great book =D>

[HFD23 37]

i also am reading this book, and i can;t bear to put it down, i am about 5 chapters into the book, and as much as i am dieing to finish it, i want to try to take it slow cause once i am done i don't have this same excitement to look foward to wondering what can happen next, the book truly helps you to see the bond of firemen, and what life is like at rescue 2 being one of the elite...

even more so, it reminds you what the 60's and 70's were like in the bronx and brooklyn, must have been a buff's dream world... these guys all set the standards for firefighting today and many of the rescue 2 men lost their lives on 9/11 and it lets those of us who never knew them learn alot about each man, and we must never forgeth what they stood for, each man was willing to die to save a civilian, let alone have the chance to save one of their own.. they are true hero's and we must remember that they did for ever one and their contribution to the fire service...