Nothing stirs the blood like the flashing lights and blaring siren of a fire truck racing to fight a blaze. The action photography in this book captures that excitement in all of its forms. In powerful, on-the-scene pictures and text, author/photographer Shapiro explores the special techniques and equipment brought to bear on fires in cities and suburbs, rural outposts and wilderness, in homes and industrial structures. He also takes a close look at hair-raising rescues and other "non-firefighting" tasks that firefighters find themselves facing. From bold photography and detailed descriptions of fire fighting to close-up looks at the fire house and its full array of equipment--trucks, ladders, pumpers, and tankers--this book conveys both the technical nitty-gritty and the fiery action of meeting and containing one of nature's most brutal forces.