“To be effective, a training program must be realistic. Firefighters today want to know the realities of what they will face once they are on the job. This is why we have adopted The Station-Ready Rookie as a required part of every recruit school in our state. This excellent book is easy to read and gives new recruits a glimpse beyond the technical aspects of firefighting. The authors have done a great job preparing new firefighters to become part of our fire service family.” —Allan Rice, Executive Director, Alabama Fire College & Personnel Standards Commission While fire academies teach the fundamentals and technical skills of firefighting, “life as a rookie” is an area that is mostly overlooked. Three fire service veterans wrote The Station-Ready Rookie to help new firefighters know and understand what will be expected of them during their first assignment to a fire station and throughout their probationary period. This book is designed to shorten the rookie’s learning curve and help the reader become an outstanding new firefighter from day one. It is perfect for aspiring firefighters, new recruits, fire departments, and training academies! The second edition of The Station-Ready Rookie takes into account reader feedback and addresses current topics for today’s new and seasoned firefighters. It contains an entirely new fourth section as well as new chapters on: choosing your city of employmentthe expanding role of the fire departmenthazing within the fire departmentutilizing your chain of commandcreating and seizing opportunitiesthe importance of being involved in your community