BOOK  REVIEWS
by Wildland Firefighters

Damn, this guy's a gifted writer. His book should be proof to the world at large that, as Hunter proclaimed in his last TheySaid post, firefighters are some of the best people in the world. Murry's book gives you a long look into the world of the smokejumpers - their quirky and hilarious personalities, their indomitable spirits and their humanity. There's a whole storehouse of laugh-your-ass-off tales of bears in the food cache and parachuting into shitters (and rivers, and moose...), and amazing stories of battles with the dragon that should ring true for anybody who has ever set foot on the line. Beyond that, he really captures the essence of the fire world that we all know and love - the camaraderie, the dirt and exhaustion and blood, the everyday courage, the beauty of the wilderness and the awesome power of the dragon. Taylor is wise, funny and eloquent. I hope that retirement will give him time to crank out more smokechasing tales, 'cause he is very good at this author business. JM

I read this book after I got back from Idaho and Montana this year and it was a real treat. Not only was it accurate but just the language Murray used took me right back out on the line! We got to coyote camp with some jumpers from Grangeville this summer and so the book brought back those memories as well. There are some places where he describes being caught by the dragon and how unpredictable it can be, which he tells with such accuracy that it gets my heart thumping!!! I have read most of the books on wildland firefighting but this one is exciting, informative and one of those all nighters!!! When you pick it up don't plan on doing anything else for a while because you can't put it down! I also admire his dedication to wildland firefighting and wish him a meaningful retirement. I actually bought a copy for one of the guys on my crew as a birthday present!! Firebabe NH#3

A fine book. Plenty of detail, and plenty of firsthand accounts. Tends to let the reader in on the real stuff. Maybe only a FF could relate to some of the described scenes, however, my wife really enjoyed it and she has not ever been too close to a real fire. I would recommend this book to anyone! -Bob G.

I read Jumping fire two years ago during the 2000 fire season. I thought the book was terrific. At the time I was on a Helitack crew. I learned al lot about what smokejumpers do and the training they go through. I would recommend this book to anyone in the wildland fire community or firefighting business. Sincerely, GN

I rate the book Jumping Fire Excellent, because it describes a fire season as it does happen in real life, being I worked the summer of 2001 as a fire lookout and saw first hand. Constantinos

One of the best wildland firefighting books I have read. His style keeps rookies, snookies and veterans interested.  It is good for the general public to give them a glimpse in to the world of wildland firefighting, in easy to understand terms. This will be a re-read for me for years and I have recommended it to a lot of people. Way to go Murray! Radio girl

A great book...As an early 1960's US Forest Service Helitack Smoke Jumper, this book brought back many good memories of my days (& nights) fighting fires all over the intermountain western US. Many lessons to learn about forest fires in this book. DD

Trimotor and Trail

I read this after I went on the staff ride at Vandenberg. It was great meeting Joe and hearing some of his accounts from the fire that were not mentioned in the book. Seeing the actual site brought the whole book together for me. On a personnel account, I think this book has brought my father and me closer together. My father was on the Honda Canyon Fire and is mentioned in the book a few times. After giving the book to my dad he brought it back to me 2 days later and told me it brought back a lot of old memories that we sat down and talked about for hours. I really liked the book and I couldn't put it down until I was almost done with it also. The most amazing thing about the book is reading about how many folks got burned over on this fire and the amazing force of the winds they were dealing with. If you haven't read it, I would go out and buy it. An R5er

In response to your request for feedback on the book "Beyond Tranquillon Ridge".... I also read the book after participating in the "draft" Honda Canyon Fire staff ride as did An-R5er. The book is a great read for any student of fire and a must read for anyone planning on attending the staff ride. The four individuals killed on the 1977 brush fire at Vandenberg AFB included the Vandenberg Base Commander, the Vandenberg Fire Chief, Assistant Fire Chief and a Dozer Operator. This book is written by Joseph Valencia who was a firefighter with Santa Barbara County Fire and on one of the first in engines to the fire. Besides the 4 fatalities, 7 entrapments occurred on the fire. yactac

I was assigned to this fire as a Division Boss and responded from another fire located in the Mariposa County area east of Coulterville. When I arrived I noted constant brisk and variable winds and it was reminiscent of my coast assignment when with CDF in San Diego and Orange counties. I was a witness to sustained fire whirl that lasted about three minutes. When you think about it that is a long time. This book is well written, very descriptive of the many and varied experiences all of us witnessed. The burn over was no surprise to me. While we all mourned the loss of fellow firefighters, we didn’t have any time to dwell on that tragedy. What did impress me was the total burn off down to the soil level of the fuels. I found places where the earth had a crust on the surface and I attributed that to the heat of the fire front as it passed. I even found sand areas where the surface looked like glass. I do recommend this book for all who are assigned to a coastal response station. Be it in Marin, Sonoma or San Diego county, it gives a good description of what coastal fires can do and it is crazy. First it runs inland. Then the fog comes in and it tries to lay down except above the fog levels. Then it runs back out to the beach and lays down again. This goes on every day. If you are not focused, this is the kind of fire that can go into the history books. Normbc9

I recommend this for all wildland firefighters. 5 saws Another TC

This is a terrific book! Gonzales makes the complex material - that includes some neuroanatomy, physiology, lots of stress psychology, human factors - so accessible. It's an easy and riveting read. The book is rich with stories, illustrations and insights from "survival at the boundary of life and death". Awesome!

Read this book, and consider what you don't yet know about how human beings function and how you can potentially think like a survivor. Some cognitive processes occur within our awareness. However many hot and cold cognitive processes occur outside of conscious awareness and control. Under stress, the human organism clicks into self-preservation mode. Recognition Primed Decision Making may often be more about the emotional charge on those slides in your slidebox than about reason. The first set of neural paths via the amygdala (hot-cognition, emotional, hair on the back of the neck) are a split-second faster than the second set of neural paths that go to reasoning centers in the brain (cold-cognition). Survivors seem to be able to use hot cognitions (emotion) to inform reason and reason to moderate emotion so as to adapt more quickly to new environmental circumstances, optimizing their potential for survival. A must read! Mellie

A good read for those interested in historical fire accounts. The book tells the story of the Rattlesnake Incident on the Mendocino NF in 1953 where there were 15 fatalities. The author jumps around time wise which can be a little confusing sometimes (this writing trait must run in the family). This is followed up with the Sadler fire burnover incident in Nevada in 2000 and ends with a chapter with an update of Mann Gulch with another visit to the site with the lone survivor Bob Sallee and a short chapter with kind of an editorial discussion on the evolution of fire suppression . Overall it was a very interesting book and difficult to put down at times. I would give it 4 saws (well, to be honest I would say 3.5 saws but I dont think you have a half saw icon). Pulaski

Ab has not yet read the book. You can be sure he will review it in due time.

Good book, nice intro to the writings of some excellent classic wildland firefighter writers. This book of stories and excerpts from other books also includes some writings of structure firefighters. (4 saws) Strider

Describes very well men and women wildland firefighters, the excitement and danger of their jobs, their tools, methods, and training. Picture book format. Informative. Easy to read or browse. Four saws. NorCal Tom

This is a must read book. I suggest that you read Young Men and Fire first to see the different writing styles and perspectives of a father and his son. Five Chain Saws. Hunter

A fine and entertaining book. Enough detail to satisfy the FF, and enough story to satisfy the casual reader. Lets the common folk feel what is involved in a real fire. Maybe we're not just overpaid flunkies after all. This was one of my personal favorites. I was unable to quit this book. It just kept me going and going to the bitter end. All hail this tome. Salute. -Bob G

Continuation of reviews, Siskiyou's, RAW's and FedFire's reviews.
Abercrombie's review that focuses on the responsibility of the individual firefighter for his or her own safety.

This is an excellent book, seems to me to be the most realistic of those out there. It helps to know the Canyon, but get a good map and follow along. Nobody dies , nobody shelters up but it gives anyone interested a look at the world of wildland firefighting. and some of the good old bureaucracy that we have to deal with. DR

I loved it! Pyne writes with great humor and intelligence. Though his experiences were rather unique at the Grand Canyon rim, there are many broad parallels to fire-fighting elsewhere, especially to handcrew firefighting. Especially intriguing is the relationship between the Regulars, such as Pyne, and the pick-up (Indian) firefighters. I chuckled as I saw the analogous behaviors and oddities with my own inmate firefighters. For instance, they tend to idolize their leaders, far beyond what we know is reasonable, and pass down their (often dramatized) exploits in an oral tradition to their families and acquaintances....
     Pyne got sent out to California once, and got stuck in a black hole on a big fire - "we've all been there"!!   :-)  Definitely worth reading. MW

One of Stephen Pyne's best! A snapshot of the 70's. 4 chainsaws BIZ

I really enjoyed this book and identified with many of the situations described. It follows the author on a fictional season of firefighting based on his 15 years at the Grand Canyon. I would highly recommend this book to anyone considering working for a Federal wildland agency to give them some idea of what the job is about and how its different from working for a city fire department. 4 Chainsaws. FedFire

I enjoyed this book! Stephen Pyne really captured the life of a firefighter in the southwestern U.S. in the late 60's to early 80's in this book. I worked in fire management on the south side of the Grand Canyon on the old Chalender Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest from 1974 to 1978 and knew or knew of many of the people he discussed in the book, including two classmates in the 1975 graduating class of the School of Forestry at Northern Arizona University. I believe the author and I crossed paths by taking the same intermediate fire behavior course at the Albright Training Center on the south rim in 1976 or 1977. Although the North Kaibab Ranger District and the north rim of Grand Canyon National Park were separated by geographically and in perspective from the south side I remember many of the incidents he talks about. His descriptions of what certain days were like match my memory very closely. His description of "Barbara Red Butte", a woman working the Red Butte lookout on the Tusyan Ranger District of the Kaibab is right on, we both listened to her radio traffic at the same time. His short accounts of the "Rampart Cave Sloth Dung Fire" at Grand Canyon National Park, an event covered endlessly and frequently by the media, and all the very unusual efforts made the Park to extinguish this unique fire, caused me to remember everyone in our fire behavior course standing up to introduce themselves at the beginning of the class. One Park Service employee gave a fairly routine account of his fire career and qualifications, then brought the house down when he ended with "and I am the world's foremost authority on sloth dung fires."

The book conveys the feeling of being in fire management at about the time natural resource agencies began to shift gears from the "10 am policy" of total suppression, or fire control as it was called then, towards fire management. The fire organizations were looked at as an anachronism by management and employees in other resource functions in that time. A time when we began the extremely difficult task of putting together policy and procedures in response to what science had been telling us for two or three decades, that is return fire to a more natural role in fire dependent ecosystems or face a crisis by the end of the century. Many long time fire control people did not agree, however, some old fire dogs that began their careers in the 1940's and 1950's, who without any formal education had come to the same conclusions as the science did. "Fire on the Rim" also relates the widespread view of "ground pounders" of then and now, that we all too often accomplish our jobs in spite of management rather than because of them.

The National Park Service, who Mr. Pyne was working for, was more progressive in their views of fire management during the 60's and 70's, which caused many of us in the Forest Service to believe that their "on the ground management" was more progressive as well. Mr. Pyne dispels any rumors that our perspective was accurate. As the events of the rest of the 1970's and the decades since then unfolded, we had to suffer the frustration of the public and politicians extreme reluctance or opposition to let us do what had to be done to avert a building crisis. It did come, as evidenced by current events, resulting in fire management organizations becoming more critical than they have ever been. However, for many of us beginning our careers in the late 60's and early 70's the shift did not come soon enough and the difficulties of keeping up our morale each and every day were challenging. This is the main theme conveyed in "Fire on the Rim" in my opinion, and in doing so Stephen Pyne captured the thoughts, emotions, and coping mechanisms many of us had during those times. For anyone who worked in fire management during those times this is a must read. Fred Richter, "Retired Ranger" Mammoth Lakes, California

If you need a book to give someone to explain what you do or enlighten them on the world of wildland firefighting, this is THE book. Excellent from cover to cover. JG

This is a very good book loan or give as a gift to your Doctor, lawyer, risk manager or your office staff. Fire Line will help them understand what it is you do and why you do it. Five Chain Saws. Hunter

Another book I recommend to people looking to work in wildland fire. Great photography and the author did his homework when researching the book. It is a very good description of wildland firefighters. I wound up using it to help answer some of my parents questions about what my job was. 4 Chainsaws. FedFire

From Fuels Guy, a less than stellar review:
If you have any reasonable level of wildland fire experience this book will drive you nuts. Some examples:

• Page 109; "known as fall streaks or virga, are the graceful shafts of dry lightning preceding a storm." While virga, (rainfall) may be a sponsor of lightning (electricity), virga and lightning are two different elements of a T- Storm. Cheeez.
• Page 113; has a 1/2-sentence mention of humidity. The Index does not list humidity; I believe humidity is mentioned only minimally once or twice elsewhere. Failure to understand the extreme importance of humidity in wildland fire behavior is quite telling.
• Also page 113; Not recognizing that the "great round balls," "black balls" coming down from the clouds described by survivors in "Chicago, Peshtigo, Menekaune, and Williamsonville" are obviously thunderstorm downbursts, which offer the most reliable explanation of the fire's most extreme effects, especially in view of the lack of witness accounts of tornados. This TORNADOS caused the fire behavior obsession seems to have clouded the author's objectivity.

Numerous instances of small towns listed that are not shown on one of the three maps.

The book does set the table well for the characters, and you do feel heartfelt sympathy for the people that are allowed to come to life. I was longing for more words of those that were there, not another tornado analysis. 2 chain saws!

This book is truly full of "Hotshot" attitude, one which is truly earned. I worked 12 years as a Hotshot in R-5. This is a must read for anyone who has ever worked shots or is considering becoming a "necessary evil" in the fire world. Rachel

The book is a cohesive collection of personal true stories told from the perspective of a 16-year-old kid who went to work as a lookout on the Clearwater NF in 1945. The book is easy and engaging reading and interesting as regards the lifestyle and the problems he had to troubleshoot. He thought nothing of a 7 mi hike into an area where he fought a lightning fire alone... and tells of having to go out to repair downed telephone lines almost routinely and his trepidation in climbing the skinny poles. He describes what he cooked with limited supplies and how he improvised with ice cream. One of his stories describes the mental and practical tasks his supervisors let him figure out - how to single-handedly get a new woodstove up the stairs of the lookout. Self reliance... Some very captivating tales. Five chainsaws. Tahoe Terrie

This book is a celebration of fire, a philosophical treatise on fire through the seasons, an exploration of what fire means in our lives. A must read. Five Saws. NorCal Tom

5 saws for historical value, 3 saws for an easy read, avg it to 4 saws if you like. -Cap'n Kirk

This book left me very disturbed, but is a "must read" book however. When I understood that the author was not a firefighter, then I understood his perspective. If you plan to read Fire on the Mountain you should read Young Men and Fire first. Four Chain Saws. Hunter

"Young Men and Fire" is a superb, layer-by-layer dissection of the causes and consequences of the 1949 wildfire disaster in Mann Gulch, Montana. Author Norman McLean -- "A River Ran Through It" -- spent a great part of his later life meticulously exploring this disastrous blowup that snatched the lives of 13 jumpers. The Forest Service was said to have learned much and significantly changed procedures after the Mann Gulch fire. Maybe. After this book, read "Fire on the Mountain" by the author's son, John N. Maclean, about the 1994 South Canyon Colorado fire that took 15 jumpers. 45 years after Mann Gulch virtually the same conditions -- fire, fuel, geographic slope and wind led to the same disastrous result. RT

This book investigates the deaths of 13 firefighters on the 1949 Mann Gulch fire which had a large impact on the way wildland fires are fought. The book is written in an unusual style and is almost the same story written 3 times from different perspectives, from the point of the author who lived in the area during the fire, from the point of view of the author as an investigator many years later and finally written from the firefighters point of view (based on the investigation and from survivors interviews). This style did not bother me and I found the book very interesting but I know many who found it unreadable. 3 Chainsaws. FedFire

While not necessarily written for the wildland firefighter, this is an excellent book for those interested in the natural history of the Southern California chaparral and the critical part that fire plays in maintaining a healthy chaparral ecosystem. Halsey has done his research well. I only say 4 saws because the material is not geared for all wildland firefighters. NorCal Tom

Interesting history, great photos and maps. Useful book if you like to hike to lookouts, but interesting otherwise. AL

Investigation of Wildfires

Investigation of Vegetation Fires

Jack Ward Thomas: The Journals of a Forest Service Chief

For those of us who lived through the strife and conflict of the 1990's inside the United States Forest Service, or outside looking in, these journals are a rare epiphany that remind us that hope lives in darkness.

Jack Ward Thomas, the first politically appointed Chief since the first Chief, Gifford Pinchot (a Teddy Roosevelt appointee in 1905) takes us on his very personal journey as he grows from wildlife biologist to agency statesman in a few short years. Along the way he stumbles and wanders, siezes triumph and faces tragedy, and crosses the finish line with grace and understanding.

The politics of natural resource and environmental policy are often ugly, frustrating, arcane. Thomas' lights a candle with often astonishing revelations about people - he names names - that can be highly entertaining and insightful. With humor and pathos he deconstructs the key events of the age and explains his rationale for highly controversial decisions clearly and in real time.

Thomas was a career scientist whose identity and loyalty was to his profession before events in the Clinton White House landed him on the fourth floor in the corner office in the old Auditor's Building on the Mall in Washington, just a few hundred yards from the Washington Monument, in the seat of Forest Service power. His grasp of the breadth and depth of what he would come to correctly identify as the sacred calling of being Chief was slight, but his willingness to tell the story of his transformation was strong and this he did honestly, openly, and often delightfully.

Did he do everything right? Hardly. But neither was he deserving of condemnation. If anything he stepped up to the plate in the face of far worse alternatives and tried to do the right thing, acknowledging his own innocence and failures, coming of age and successes, and in the event creating a personal and agency political history that is both very well written and very compelling.

Expect to be up in the wee hours of the night when you open this book. These journals are a must read for anyone who hopes to understand the politics of the environment being played out right now and for serious and casual students of government policy in public land management. Frank Carroll, Custer, SD

Living with Wildfires: Prevention, Preparation and Recovery

Five stars. Among the best of the current crop of books written to drag us into reality and show us how to get out of the mess we're in. Frank Carroll, Custer, SD

Thought-provoking and entertaining book tracing the history of wildland fire policy keeping in mind the backdrop of the SoCal 2003 firestorm. Pyne has taken his wealth of fire knowledge and put it into this book that starts with the history of fire around the world, lays out the pros and cons of policies of recent years and the options he thinks are available for fire management policy today and for the future. Beth

Good reading. AL

I use this book all the time and would rate it at least 4 saws, maybe a 4 and a half! Todd

A very good and satisfying read set against the backdrop and action of the Yellowstone Fires of 1988.Good writing, good research. A couple of times I found myself in a mental After Action Review. 5 Saws Mellie

Linda Jacobs has produced a gripping novel about one of the most electrifying events in the annals of American wildfires - the great Yellowstone fires of 1988. Through her fictional characters, Jacobs has captured the essence of the emotional coaster, high drama, and the outstanding performance of America's finest wildland firefighters. She has done her homework well and the setting is completely accurate. This is a compelling work and I had difficulty putting it down. Bob Barbee - Yellowstone Superintendent, 1983-1988

Fire Video & DVD

Excellent video on wildland firefighting from the groundpounder to the camp slug, from the "hurry up and wait" to the anxiety surrounding how firefighters are fairing when the fire blows up! If you're new to this you really get educated on what wildland firefighting is all about. If you've done it, you get to see old friends doing what we do every season. Todd