Dennis Smith, RIP

Joined
Jan 14, 2022
Messages
154
 
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
1,255
I read Report from Engine Co. 82 when I was 14 and without a doubt it put me on the path I am today. I'll forever be thankful. May he rest in peace and may his family find comfort.
 
Joined
Jul 29, 2019
Messages
339
Rest In Peace Mr. Smith. I read a few of his books starting with Report From Engine Co. 82 and all were excellent. Report From Ground Zero might be his best.
 
Joined
Jan 5, 2022
Messages
83
I read Report from Engine Co. 82 when I was 14 and without a doubt it put me on the path I am today. I'll forever be thankful. May he rest in peace and may his family find comfort.
I read this at around the same age and am similarly grateful. Rest In peace.
 
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
15,592
RET FF DENNIS SMITH ...ENG*292....ENG*82....LAD*61...REST IN PEACE BROTHER....THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE BOTH MILITARY (US AIR FORCE ) & FDNY...PRAYERS FOR THE COMFORT OF THE FAMILIES...... Dennis Smith's last interview was on "Gettin Salty" ......
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 4, 2010
Messages
849
I'm embarrassed to say as a somewhat semi international FDNY buff for over 20yrs, having visited the firehouse in 2019 and heard about the book from alot of friends here that I've never read "Report from Engine Co 82". I don't even have a copy.

That has changed now. I just ordered it

RIP Ret FF Dennis Smith
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam
 
Joined
Jun 22, 2007
Messages
5,539
Dennis Smith will always be remembered for the job he did working in the Busiest Fire Company in the entire world.

He will always be remembered for his two famous books; "Report From Engine 82", and "Report From Ground Zero" published right after the World Trade Center Attacks on 9/11.

For me personally, Dennis Smiths book "Report From Engine 82", which I believe came out in 1972, introduced myself and many of my friends to the FDNY during their busiest years.

I remember once visiting the firehouse and Dennis Smith was working. I didn't know it at the time, who he was, but I was invited in as a welcomed guest.

Dennis Smith will ALWAYS Be Remembered for his work in describing in detail what it was like to fight fires in the busiest city and fire company in the world.

I am very THANKFUL for the job he did.
He is indirectly responsible for helping me to learn the job as a firefighter from following and watching "THE BEST and MOST EXPERIENCED IN THE WORLD.

Thank you Dennis Smith for your contributions to the Fire Service.

You Will NOT be forgotten

May You Rest In Peace

Here is an interview from Dennis Smith.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cis7978tZDY

I also would like to add that Dennis Smith started the very popular magazine called; "Firehouse".

His magazine was read by many of us both at home through our own subscription, as well as passed along among the guys in the firehouse.

It contained some great stories, photos, and described many serious incidents from various fire departments in great detail
 

mack

Administrator
Joined
Aug 8, 2009
Messages
13,431
RIP. Dennis Smith. I think so many people know you by your books, writings and good-will work, they all feel a great loss. God bless Dennis, his family and friends - and thank you Dennis Smith, for helping and influencing so many others in you life.
 
Joined
Mar 5, 2007
Messages
763
Rest In Peace to this man who changed the fire service with his books and Firehouse magazine. I’m sure many thousands of young men read Report From Engine Co. 82 and went on to careers in the fire service. 🙏🙏
 

mack

Administrator
Joined
Aug 8, 2009
Messages
13,431

Dennis Smith (firefighter)​



Dennis Smith was an American writer and retired firefighter. He was the author of 16 books, most notable of which is the memoir, Report from Engine Co. 82, a chronicle of his career as a firefighter with the New York City Fire Department in a South Bronx firehouse from the late 1960s and into the 1970s. Smith served for 18 years as a New York City firefighter, from 1963 to 1981, and is the most well-known advocate for firefighters in the United States. After 9/11, he chronicled the 57 days he spent in rescue and recovery operations at the World Trade Center collapse in a bestselling book, Report from Ground Zero.

Early life and career​

According to his autobiography, Dennis Smith is of Irish ancestry and grew up in a tenement on the East Side of Manhattan. In 1963, Smith took the New York City Civil Service Test and became a firefighter in the New York City Fire Department. He was first assigned to Engine Company 292, a fire company located in Queens. Three years later, in 1966, Smith transferred to the busiest fire company in the city, and perhaps the world at the time, Engine Company 82, located in the South Bronx. In the mid-1970s, shortly after his first book was published, Smith transferred to Ladder Company 66 in the North Bronx. During the duration of his career, Smith lived with his family in the Orange County suburb of Washingtonville, New York, before moving to East 84th Street in New York City.

Smith and his history are mentioned in the book Murder in the Penthouse by Peter McCurtin, about the killing of John Tupper allegedly by horse trainer Howard Buddy Jacobson, over a model they both loved, named Melanie Cain. In the summer of 1978, Smith and other firefighters put out a blaze in an abandoned lot, which was Tupper's burning body.

Firehouse magazine​

In 1976, Smith founded Firehouse magazine. The magazine became the journal of record for the American fire service, and accorded Smith as its editor the opportunity to educate himself on most of the nation's emergency management concerns. He sold Firehouse in 1991, but continued as founding editor. At the time, Firehouse was a monthly trade magazine with a circulation of 120,000, and a readership of 700,000 within the community of firefighters. While serving as the editor and publisher of Firehouse, Smith also created the Firehouse Muster and Convention in Baltimore (now in Nashville). He was presented with the Legacy Award of Firehouse Magazine in 2016.

Civic life​

Dennis Smith is a leader in New York City and national charitable organizations. He was the founding chairman of the New York Academy of Art. He was also the founding chairman of the New York City Fire Museum on Spring Street. From 1975 to 1995, he was president or chairman of the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club in the Southeast Bronx, where 9000 youngsters were members. He also served on the national board of advisors of Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and was elected to that institution's prestigious "Hall of Fame". His bronze bust resides in the lobby of the BGCA's Atlanta headquarters.

Smith was a trustee of the New York Fire Foundation, a charity that supported special projects and needs of the fire commissioner. The foundation purchased pass alert devices for firefighters, computer services for firehouses, and was at the forefront of investigating the needs of firefighters and their departments. In 1991, he created the Foundation for the Health and Safety of American Firefighters with the royalties from one of his books. The foundation supported health and safety efforts through grants to leading organizations in the fire service.

He was also a founding member who served on the board of the Congressional Fire Services Institute, an organization created by an Act of Congress. It provides emergency service management information and conclusions to the congress, and has been honored by visits from presidents George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, Homeland Security head Tom Ridge, and many congressional leaders.

For eight years after 9/11, Smith served as a trustee of the New York Police & Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund, a charity that benefits the families of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty.

Awards​

Smith's service to firefighters and his leadership in their causes have been recognized in numerous awards by the Congressional Fire Services Institute, the National Fire Academy, and the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

The International Association of Fire Chiefs award cited Smith:

For your accurate and colorful portrayal of the fire service in your books, for your vision in creating the Foundation for the Health and Safety of American Firefighters, and for your dedication to education by pioneering Firehouse Magazine.
Smith received a B.A. in English from New York University in 1970, and an M.A. in Communications from NYU in 1972.

From Wikipedia
 
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
1,384
Rest in Peace, Dennis. God bless you for your contributions to the firefighting family. May your family at home and on the job be comforted.
 
Top