Fire Officer's Guide to Disaster Control, Second Edition

by William M. Kramer and Charles W. Bahme

This book will help you respond to disasters with the necessary operational procedures to save lives and property. The first moments of any incident can set the tone for the entire operation. Includes... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0912212268
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Fire Engineering Books & Videos
• Length: 641 Pages
• Weight: 3.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.3" x 1.8" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

The collector's item of the 20th Century!

This book is renowned as THE collector's item of the 20th Century. It's reputation precedes it due to the fact that when the authors' decided to publish an updated second edition, they felt it extremely necessary to include the now infamous Chapter 13, titled as "Enemy Attack And The UFO Potential." This was confirmed in a highly revealing interview with one of the authors on "Sightings," a popular weekly television show hosted by Tim Rice and produced by Henry Winkler during the 1990s. Inheriting Leonard Nimoy's "In Search Of" legacy, which aired during the 1970s, "Sightings" drew a tremendous audience during the 1990s as it explored and analyzed many different aspects of the paranormal and metaphysical genres. When the "Sightings" crew focused their interest on the "Fire Officer's Guide to Disaster Control, Second Edition," it gave the book, its authors and its controversial Chapter 13 a level of public exposure that basically ripped the rug out from under any false notions that UFOs or alien craft were not real local, state or national issues. I got my hands on a copy by calling Fire Engineering Books and Videos and pretending to be a firefighter. This was just before they caught on as to what was happening due to public interest generated by the "Sightings" episode. Anecdote 1: An atheist/agnostic friend of mine had read Chapter 13 and her comments were as such: "I can't believe this! This is absolutely shocking to me! Anyone who is the least bit mentally imbalanced would surely commit suicide after reading this!" What amazed her the most was its casual, professional, matter-of-fact approach - as if to say this happens everyday for firefighters. Anecdote 2: My brother, who had just started his own trucking delivery service at the time, had actually crossed paths with the warehouse that stored and shipped copies of "Fire Officer's Guide to Disaster Control" for the publishing house. While making a delivery, he spotted the books stacked on pallets in the warehouse and, knowing a good opportunity when he sees one, decided to ask about the Second Edition. The guys in the warehouse looked at each other and then back at my brother. They began to smile, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "You're talking about that Chapter 13, right?" they asked. They already knew why he was inquiring. They told him that everyone always asks about that edition and that chapter.

Are You Sure You Want THIS Job?

This book is a broad study of about all the large disasters a Fire Officer might need to understand something about. There are statistics, and some very good facts about the many subjects including myths and misconceptions. And UFOs. The chapters are well organized and the print is large enough for relaxed reading. The book is written in a casual, but professional style that keeps your interest. I recommend it for any EMS, Fire, or civil defense/preparedness students or professionals. The only reason for a 4/5 rating is the broadness of each subject. Anyone in the business knows each chapter is worth a book all by itself. This work is a great accomplishment and my copy cost $55 in 1995. Its only slightly dated, HazMat is still chemicals, riots are bad, Terrorism is still violent. These authors did a great job!

Defintely the MOST comprehensive disaster control book...

How many other books of this type have a chapter concerning how to deal with a UFO crash? Seriously, Chapter 13 is entitled "Enemy Attack and UFO Potential." I've always been a skeptic concerning these types of things, but when a completely serious book like this has a chapter about dealing with UFOs (and one of the authors claims to have seen one), you just have to wonder...