If You Play With Fire

The 1960s and 1970s were a a tumultuous time for New York City and its Fire Department. Arson was rife as new owners took this shortcut to getting rid of old buildings on prime property; civil disobedience accounted for further fires, greed and ineffectual City government further complicated the picture, and diminishing budgets made it difficult just to keep fire fighting equipment operating. New York City became a playground for unscrupulous entrepreneurs and predators who picked the bones of a decaying city. And then there was the sexual revolution. In If You Play With Fire, author Eugene Welischar, a 33-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department, tells the inside story of firehouse operations, operating within an impossible environment and of the brotherhood of firemen that made it work. The book is filled with true stories of fire fighting, crime, diplomacy and the sometimes hilarious solutions the firemen found for getting the job done. This book will stir your soul and warm your bones, and renew your belief in the human spirit.