Includes bibliographical references (pages 357-360) and index.

September 10, 2001 -- "Discreet, Sober Men" -- A National Calamity -- Gangs, Feuds, and Politics -- War and Revolution -- "A Duty, Not a Pastime" -- Vertical City -- American Colossus -- The War Years -- A Battle for Inclusion -- A New World -- September 11, 2001 -- Going Home.

A history of the FDNY, from the volunteers of the early 1700s to the rescue teams of September 11, 2001, offers stories of heroic firefighters and significant events.

Fighting Fire in New York City has always been one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Yet from the city's earliest days, New Yorkers have wanted to be fire-fighters, and even today the list of men and women waiting to take the firefighters' exam numbers in the thousands. What makes the FDNY so special that people clamor for the chance to risk their lives on the job? In So Others Might Live, Terry Golway-son, godson, and in-law of the FDNY-chronicles the unique history of "New York's Bravest." From the volunteers of colonial times to the "fire laddies" who raced each other to put out blazes in the 1840s, from the professional corps that gave job security to so many immigrants, especially the Irish, after the 1860s, to the highly-trained force of today, the FDNY has always had a distinct culture born of the bonds that firefighters share with each other. Golway traces the amazing history of these unique civil servants who have worked so hard to protect the city. Fires may reflect the dangers of their time, whether it is lack of water supply or crowded tenement buildings, but it is the firefighters who save lives-while creating safety reforms such as water towers, fire escapes, and scaling ladders-who make the future possible. As only a great Irish storyteller could do, Golway interweaves the stories of real life characters, famous and unknown, with the dramatic history of a city on the rise. Through his gripping narrative we see how fire looms as a threat to commerce, public safety, and prosperity at every stage in New York's history, from the Great Fire of 1835 that destroyed Wall Street to the famous Triangle Shirt Waist Fire to the arson epidemic of the 1970s. We also learn about the great firefighters who have challenged politicians, tycoons, and the status quo: James Gulick, the popular ex-Chief who was voted to elective office over Tammany Hall competition; Hugh Bonner, the great reformer for fire prevention and safety who was the first Irish immigrant named Chief of Department; Smoky Joe Martin, the legendary firefighter who would enter burning buildings against his own captain's orders; Wesley Williams, the first African-American officer and founder of the Vulcan Society; Lorraine Cziko, one of the first women to make it through the tough trials of the seventies and join the force; Peter Ganci, the beloved Chief of Department who died on September 11, 2001. With narrative verve and an eye for dramatic detail, Golway has given us the first comprehensive history of the FDNY in over sixty years. A moving and original history of the city and the firefighting vocation as seen through the eyes of "New York's Bravest," his gripping chronicle also offers us a new understanding of American cities and the people who made them great. -- Publisher description.