Note: Full converage of Firehouse's 50th Anniversary
From a grizzled South Bronx firefighter during FDNY’s war years to a polished author and lifelong advocate for the fire service, Dennis Smith’s launch of Firehouse Magazine 50 years ago charted the course for many who shaped the fire service and continue to lead it today.
Smith’s legacy in the fire service started in 1972 when he authored “Report from Engine Co. 82,” which details life in his South Bronx firehouse, the home of Engine 82 and Ladder 31.
In the book, Smith relates the work of a firefighter in the ghetto to any reader who picks up the book, of which more than three million copies have been sold. He shares the triumphs and tragedies and the unique bond that firefighters share while he weaves in societal issues and politics.
In 1976, the inaugural Firehouse was published with the September/October issue. Soon after that, it went monthly.
During the 25th anniversary celebration of Firehouse, Smith reflected on his purpose, saying, “There (was) a place and a need for highly technical information, but I knew that firefighters wanted more realistic, on-the-scene information about fighting fires in the various parts of our great nation, information that related directly to their everyday firefighting lives. This information existed, but if they didn’t get it from their local newspapers, it did not exist for our firefighters.”
He worked with documentary photographer Jill Freedman to publish the book, “Firehouse,” in 1977. The gritty black-and-white photos captured the true essence of being a firefighter during the war years, inspiring many to join the fire service for a taste of what those firefighters did.
Smith retired from an 18-year career with FDNY in 1981 to focus on Firehouse and launched Firehouse Expo in 1983 to bring the pages of the magazine to life. Readers could see the products from the advertisers, sit in on classes from the regular authors, learn about recent major emergencies from incident commanders and bond with firefighters from across the United States.
“It was bewildering to leave my gritty South Bronx firehouse after a night tour and meet Dennis in the fashionable Madison Avenue neighborhood and be taken to lunch in a four-star restaurant,” longtime Firehouse Safety & Survival columnist Vincent Dunn shared. “I enjoyed the lunches, and Dennis enjoyed hearing about fires in the South Bronx, where he had worked years before. I thank Dennis Smith and all my editors over the years for a wonderful magic carpet ride.”
After retiring from Firehouse, Smith went on to author several more books and to help other fire service programs, including the launch of the National Firefighter Near-Miss Reporting System.
“I worked with Dennis while he was chair of the National Near-Miss Reporting System beginning in 2005 and was honored to call him a friend,” Amy Tippett said. “Firefighters will remember Dennis as a legendary author whose books literally made them want to become firefighters. Others may associate him with Firehouse Magazine and his visionary contributions to fire service and philanthropic organizations. But my memories of Dennis will always be his love for his children and his pride in talking about their accomplishments, rather than his own … His contributions to the fire service are a legacy that will be honored for years to come, but his true legacy lives in his children and grandchildren.”
Smith died on Jan. 21, 2022, from COVID.
