From Chapter Ten - Firefighting 101

The station was a terrific place to live, particularly for a college student. Free room and cheap board–I could buy into the meals with the career guys if I wanted–made it more affordable than dorm living. Studying Fire Science at the University of Maryland was a great experience, thanks to the first rate professors, but maintaining the balance between school and firefighting was a challenge. It was good to be young, as I slept eight hours straight only about one night a week. The rest of the nights were either interrupted by calls or by late night bullshit
sessions.