The Last Men Out: Life on the Edge at Rescue 2 Firehouse [Hardcover]

Tom Downey (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0805071695 | ISBN-13: 978-0805071696 | Publication Date: June 1, 2004 | Edition: First Edition

The inside story of one of America’s most elite firehouses and the extraordinary brotherhood of men who face extreme danger every day

Firefighting is a world of absolutes: evil is a red devil that wants destruction and death, good is a charged hose line, full of water to fight the flames. The best and boldest firefighters in the country, the men of Rescue 2 are hand-picked to fight not just the biggest blazes but any other emergency New York can throw at them. The sheer adrenaline of the job is perfectly captured in the dramatic story of their firehouse, a model for others nationwide--dubbed "the cuisinart" because it slices up new recruits.

The story begins in the late 1990s as Phil Ruvolo takes command just a few years after the departure of Captain Ray Downey, a legendary FDNY leader. Ruvolo inherits a stubborn group of vets, many still loyal to Downey. He also steps into a firehouse mourning the recent loss of a brother-- Rescue 2's first fire fatality since the 1950s.

Tom Downey takes us into the fireman’s world: the smell of their coats after a good fire, the hardened eyes of a veteran after a fellow fireman’s death, the humor and camaraderie. His firemen are not cardboard heroes; they’re a group of gritty, larger-than-life personalities brought together by dedication and a mission to save lives. Rescue 2 doesn’t leave a fire until everybody’s safe. They’re the last men out. Theirs is an inspiring story destined to become a classic.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Deputy Chief Ray Downey, the most highly decorated firefighter in the history of the FDNY, died during the World Trade Center rescue operations, but months earlier, he had arranged for his nephew, filmmaker Tom Downey, to make a documentary on the emergency experts of Brooklyn's Rescue Company No. 2, the "most active firefighting unit in the city." After the completed film, Still Riding: Rescue Company New York City, aired on September 11, 2002, Tom Downey continued his research, writing about firefighters for the New York Times. For this book, he follows the efforts of the new captain, Phil Ruvolo, to take command and establish a rapport with his men. Interweaving the history and lore of landmark fires with daily chores and rituals, Downey recreates the firehouse's kitchen table banter and sardonic humor. He probes the physical toll and psychological problems firefighters experience, along with the job's dangers: "Crawling in for a job, a fireman would feel the linoleum, think it was safe to enter, and then fall through." Limning individual personalities and capturing the company's camaraderie with amusing anecdotes, Downey's descriptions burn into the pages with searing intensity. Writing with verve and energy in a gritty style, he explores all extremes of the firemen's world, from triumphant moments of heroism to bitter tragedies. The concluding chapters document 9/11 and its aftermath from the firemen's point of view: the "horrible losses" resulting in a massive shortage of qualified firefighters to fill the ranks of the rescue and squad companies.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Downey's father and uncles were firemen, and the late chief Ray Downey, an uncle, was in command of Brooklyn's Rescue 2 for 14 years. Rescue 2 firefighters are experts in every kind of emergency; if you are trapped under a train, pinned in a car wreck, or buried in a building collapse, these are the people with the tools and the knowledge to save your life. The author lived in the firehouse for months, spending night shifts cruising the borough with them. He had just started to work on the book when the 9/11 disaster struck, but most of it deals with the years before that tragic event. He profiles several of the firefighters and their families; he lets us in on their taste for practical jokes and the merciless hazing that recruits face, as well as the make-work chores they carry out between fires. And he explains the procedures in fighting a fire and defines firehouse jargon, all of which adds to an intimate look at the daily lives of veteran firefighters. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.; First Edition edition (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805071695
• ISBN-13: 978-0805071696
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #265,549 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, October 25, 2004

By 

M. H. Bayliss "book queen" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Men Out: Life on the Edge at Rescue 2 Firehouse (Hardcover)

This book is incredible. The author does a fantastic job of mixing in detailed accounts of historic fires along with the day to day part of the job. Of course the real heros are the fireman, a special breed. There are several anecdotes that show they don't want recognition (in one case, a man wanted to pay them $2000 for saving his mother, but they told him to save his money and buy a smoke detector!), just to do their job. The love of fighting fires comes across in spades as does the work ethic, the humor, the comraderie and the intense drive of the rescue 2 group. The characters are unforgettable. I wanted to cry when one of them in particular died (I forgot his name, but he was the gentle, quiet one who would give neighborhood boys free 10 point checks when they came in to get air in their bike tires.). I was left with great sadness that these dedicated men, everyday heros, are left with very little money for their efforts and most have to struggle by taking second jobs even with their insane hours. We should rise up and honor these men by paying them better salaries and honoring their work. They make our lives possible. By all accounts, this is a riveting book and a great piece of NY/Brooklyn/Queens history.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for firefighters and those who love them..., July 7, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Last Men Out: Life on the Edge at Rescue 2 Firehouse (Hardcover)

Only one other book I've read truly captures the true lives of firefighters and their community to the depth and extent that The Last Men Out does. It is called Braving the Waves - Rockaway Rises... and Rises Again, by Kevin Boyle. Boyle and Downey ought to get together and write a TV series that would give us the real, funny, tough, tragic, duty-bound stories of New York firefighters. Good job, Tom Downey!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a mini history of new york, June 30, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Last Men Out: Life on the Edge at Rescue 2 Firehouse (Hardcover)

I think this is well worth the read. Downey captures a tremendous amount of rich detail about blue collar life in New York. By recording the oral history of a few men, some of them lost on 9-11, Downey captures the cadences, rhythms, foods, and attitudes of working class Brooklyn. It's a mini-history of New York and firefighter lore - told by an author who studied that world before it was shattered by 9-11 and has watched the struggle to rebuild it. It's amazing to think that if Downey hadn't written this book, this oral tradition may have been lost to the rest of us.