Five Floors Up
The Heroic Family Story of Four Generations in the FDNY
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
Rescue Me meets Blue Bloods in this riveting social history of the New York City Fire Department told from the perspective of the Feehan family, who served in the FDNY for four generations and counting.
Seen through the eyes of four generations of a firefighter family, Five Floors Up the story of the modern New York City Fire Department. From the days just after the horse-drawn firetruck, to the devastation of the 1970s when the Bronx was Burning, to the unspeakable tragedy of 9/11, to the culture-busting department of today, a Feehan has worn the shoulder patch of the FDNY. The tale shines the spotlight on the career of William M. Feehan. “Chief” Feehan is the only person to have held every rank in the FDNY including New York City’s 28th Fire Commissioner. He died in the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. But Five Floors Up is at root an intimate look at a firefighter clan, the selflessness and bravery of not only those who face the flames, but the family members who stand by their sides. Alternately humorous and harrowing, rich with anecdotes and meticulously researched and reported, Five Floors Up takes us inside a world few truly understand, documenting an era that is quickly passing us by.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Journalist McDonald (Last Call at Elaine's) surveys the last century of firefighting in New York City through the lens of one family's captivating history: the Feehans, who've served in the FDNY over multiple generations, starting in the "roaring twenties." In 1926, William Feehan, the son of Irish immigrants, joined the department at a time when it was already regarded as the "finest... ever assembled." His passion for the calling was inherited by his namesake son (born 1929), who becomes McDonald's main character. That William Feehan initially failed his required eye exam, but went on to become the first firefighter to ever to hold every rank in the FDNY, including commissioner. Tragically, he perished at the World Trade Center at the age of 71, while directing rescue operations. McDonald's choice to open on 9/11, as William's son Billy Feehan gets the grim news, is a tug at the heartstrings, and sets the stage for a dramatic decades-spanning account of brave men risking their lives for New Yorkers. The narrative moves fire-by-fire tamed, addressing changing hiring practices, politics, and firefighting techniques, with due discussion of the FDNY's history of racism and sexism. It's a worthy complement to titles like Notes from the Fireground, for readers who enjoy histories with heroes at the forefront.
