Fire on the Rim: A Firefighter's Season at the Grand Canyon

by Stephen J. Pyne

In this lively account of one [fire] season, Pyne introduces us to the tightly knit world of a fire crew, to the complex geography of the North Rim, to the technique and changing philosophy of fire management.Publishers Weekly

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Environment, Adventure, History

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Eric_W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stephen Pyne spent 15 summers fighting forest fires. His new very enlightening and entertaining book is somewhat misleading as he has actually compressed those 15 years into what purports to be one summer. Although the book does not cover the famous Yellowstone fires of 1988 it does address some of the issues which they have brought to the forefront. (Pyne was a member of the committee reviewing the consequences of the Yellowstone fires.)

The book is full of human detail; what it is like to be on the front line (including the interesting detail that money conscious firefighters can earn lots of overtime if the struggle against a minor fire can be stretched out.) He has a rye sense of humor as when explaining how useful the plastic goggles are: "They are supposed to keep the smoke out of your eyes. But you see, they have all these holes for ventilation. The smoke pours through. If you seal off the holes, the glasses fog up. The government issues these. We all carry them."

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well-written accont of several summers spent by the author fighting forest fires in the Grand Canyon area. It deals with the ongoing struggle of environmentalism as opposed to those who are less concerned. You'll read about how politics interfered with the author's ability to do his job from ime to time, and you'll enjoy his obvious love fo the northern Arzona and southern Utah area. I' well worth the read if this genre of book is your thing.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pyne is the world’s foremost fire historian. He mentioned this book, which is about his early days as a US Park Service fire-fighter, in a Forest History Society lecture. I was a US Forest Service fire-fighter in college, in roughly the same time frame as Pyne. His descriptions of the work, his colleagues, and the culture were deeply familiar. The book is too detailed (he admits), but it captures the experience well.

[Jim]

The author spent 15 seasons on fire crews on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for the U.S. Forest Service. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to hear a different perspective of the Grand Canyon. You hear a lot about fighting fires, the different characters on the fire crews and the internal politics within the Forst Service and between the Forest Service and the National Park Service.

[Marly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a volunteer fire fighter/EMT in Nebraska. Used to hike a lot in the vicinity of Page, AZ. It was wonderful to read about his experiences. I like the was he formated his chapter. Good book I am going to pass along to my firefighter friends.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, good information for my purposes.