This book is about my experiences, funny and tragic, during my twenty-five years as a firefighter. Let me give you some background information before I begin. The town I write about is Sanford, Florida. At my hiring it was a town of approximately 17,000 in population, located 5 miles south of Interstate 4, between Daytona and Orlando. Sanford was a quiet town; many called it a bedroom community of Orlando. Most people from Orlando either did not know or care where Sanford was. For one reason or another we had one of the best and probably the oldest fire departments in the state. When Kennedy Space Center, known first as Cape Canaveral, was birthed, they had to have a fire department. Where did they get most of their firemen? Why, Sanford, of course. As my mind recalls five or six of our best went to the Cape. That's when I was hired. The Sanford Fire Department was created in the late 1800's. They were also the ones who created the Sanford Zoo, now called the Central Florida Zoological Park. That all started when someone gave the department a monkey. To this day I do not understand why anybody would give a fire department a monkey. Everybody knows they have a majestic Dalmatian ride on the engines! Oh, well, we neverdid get a dog. In fact during my tenure someone offered us a Dalmatian, but the chief said, "NO! It will make messes and be a problem." When I hired on the department there were five men hired at one time to replace those that went to the Cape. I was the second one hired. The Chief went to the same church that I did and one Sunday he asked me if I would like to work for him. As I said before, Sanford was a town of approximately 17,000 population and everybody knew everybody else. The Chief knew I did not have a good paying job. I was working night shift for a sand hauling company, working as a mechanic. I asked the usual - "How much do you pay." He asked me how much I was making, then answered my question. His offer was better. You see, I had a wife and