Firefighter!: The Drama and Humour of a Dangerous Profession

The Drama and Humour of a Dangerous Professionis the work of former firefighter Neil Wallington, whose fire brigade career began in Croydon in 1963. After sixteen years service in the London Fire Brigade, he moved on promotion to West Sussex and then Bedfordshire before taking command of the Mid Glamorgan Brigade. He concluded his uniformed service as Chief Fire Officer of Devon Fire and Rescue Service. In 1974, Neil was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct for his part in the protracted teamwork rescue of four firefighters buried a sudden building collapse during a major London hotel fire. He has also served as the International President of the Institution of Fire Engineers and nowadays acts as a consultant on various fire and rescue matters, is the editor of a Middle Eastern fire magazine and organises international fire and rescue conferences. In the book, the author draws upon his personal experiences in the harsh physical world of the fire service to describe the hard slog of training school, the first fatal fire, and the suffering and injury witnessed so often by fire crews. In addition to firefighting, a number of road and other crashes, leaking toxic chemicals, explosions and a wide variety of emergencies in all weathers, day and night, are graphically recalled, as are struggles with children and animals stuck in all sorts of predicaments. Throughout the pages of this book, the humour of the fire service shines through. This highly absorbing and exciting true life account reflects the often-dangerous, frequently dramatic and sometimes surprising world of the modern firefighter.

Wallington became a professional fire fighter in 1963. His career with the fire service spans almost 30 years, 16 of which were spent with the London Fire Brigade. During this time he was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct for his actions at a serious London hotel fire when fire fighters were buried in a sudden building collapse. Neil was elected International President of The Institution of Fire Engineers in 1989-90, and has served on the Secretary of State's Fire Service Advisory Council. nternational fire journals and conferences.