Ghosts of the Fireground: Echoes of the Great Peshtigo Fire and the Calling of a Wildland Firefighter

As a wild land fire fighter I look for books that will help me learn anything and everything that I can about fire behavior, supervisory roles, and how people react under stressful conditions. And when those lessons can be learned with an added touch of a gripping story, they are more easily absorbed and better remembered. Leschak is a beautiful writer and has some very interesting views on life and relates his own experiences to the memoirs of the Peshtigo Fire, brilliantly. This is a great read foreveryone in the fire business or those who are not.

I think that this book was wonderfully written, full of insight to the dangers of fighting fire and the passion and love that firefighters have for this dangerous profession. The spiritual points hit home and provide some explanations as to why any type of emergency responder will in a sense become "obsessed" with their job. It also provided me with quite a few notes that I will use when teaching younger firefighters. While it does not provide a full fledged history of the Peshtigo fire, it does touch on what I thought to be the most important aspects in relation to the authors in depth look at firefighting and those who choose to do it.

This is the first book I read about wildland firefighting. An employee of mine found this book and gave it to me. I got my red card earlier this year and she thought I would like the book. She was right. Since then I have read Fire on the Mountain and Young Men and Fire. So far this one is my favorite. Leschak tries to make two books out of this one. Part of the book is about the Peshtigo Fire and part of the book is about his exciting experiences in wildland firefighting. It goes chapter by chapter switching from being about the first topic and then back to the other. I read this a couple of months after my red card training and it was a good supliment to what I had just learned. Leschak does a good job of teaching about wildland firefighting. I wasn't too interested in the historical perspective of the Peshtigo Fire, and it's a good thing because there is less emphasis on this in the book. His stories are also exciting. I did not know what Helitack was before this book. Now that I know about it, that would be my dream job. Getting paid to ride around in a helicopter, hike in the woods, fight fire, cut down trees, build line. Now I have a goal to shoot for. Thanks.

Ghosts of the Fireground was a gift from a friend and not the kind of book I tend to pick for myself. As often is the case, however, we don't like green eggs and ham until we try them, Sam-I-am.Peter Leschak is a tremendous writer and this book defies easy classification. It certainly is an intriguing memoir; it reads like a good novel; and in parts is as inspirational as any self-help book I have read. I checked the back cover to see how it is "officially" classified: Adventure. Yes, it is that too.As a psychotherapist and author (Embracing Fear, HarperSanFrancisco) who teaches people to face their fears, I have recommended this book to a couple of clients as an example of someone who does not live a life controlled by fear. In saying that, I am not just talking about the courage Leschak shows as a firefighter, but more importantly I see him as a role model for anyone who wants to live their life on their own terms. Read this one ... in a box, or with a fox ... here or there ... anywhere.Thom Rutledgeauthor of Embracing Fear

If you loved Norman Maclean's classic Young Men and Fire, you will most certainly enjoy Ghosts of the Fireground. Peter Leschak takes us right into the heart of what it means to be a firefighter. As one of the oldest active wildland firefighters and a remarkable and gifted writer, he captures the story of the Great Peshtigo Fire in absolutely spellbinding and breathtaking prose. We are brought face to face with the awesome, mysterious pull of the fireground and are left enlightened and entertained.