Robert Drexelius

A Fire Chief's Story Robert Drexelius

A Fire Chief's Story relates the experiences of a young man who joins a volunteer fire department at age 16, as a torchboy, and is accepted as a fireman at age 18. Over the years of dedicated service, he eventually works his way up to the position of Fire Chief. It details his experiences fighting fires and performing rescues. Also, it explains why firemen brake windows and chop open roofs performing their task of fire suppression. There are descriptions of the difficulty of fighting fires in the sub-zero Western New York winters and the dangers faced by firemen when attacking a fire in a burning building that is severely weakened. The author was instrumental in forming the first volunteer paramedic unit in the country. It relates some unpleasant experiences such as his father's loss of a leg and a brother fireman dying in the line of duty.