The Firehouse Fraternity: An Oral History of the Newark Fire Department Volume V Riots to Renaissance

In Riots to Renaissance the story of the NFD from that fateful July in 1967 to the experiences of 2003 are recounted. The men who fought the fires of the Riots describe in detail how they dealt with the societal chaos that was Newark in July of 1967. If you have read A View from the Firehouse: The Newark Riots, you are familiar with the history of those troubled nights. The stories told in this book will introduce you to how it felt and what members of the Newark Fire Department did to get through that time.

The next chapters follow Newark and her fire department as they spiral downward. During the 20 years that followed the Riots, it appeared America’s cities would simply burn to the ground, but by the late 1980s hope had crept back into the picture. Newark was transformed,some say becoming America’s renaissance city. Follow Newark firefighters through the worst period in the history of the city and into an era of hope.