Dennis Smith has been called the Poet Laureate of Firefighters by the New York Post, and when his book Report from Engine Company 82 was published it was hailed for being by a working fireman on the front line of a South Bronx firehouse that was the world's busiest at that time. When disaster struck in downtown Manhattan on September 11th, 2001, Dennis Smith was among the first to arrive on the scene, and in spite of being 60 years old and long retired, he was an active participant in the doomed rescue attempts at Ground Zero for several weeks. This title is the insider's account of the heroic activities of the firefighters, police and emergency workers who rushed to downtown New York to face the greatest challenge of their lives. In all, 343 firefighters were reported missing or were identified among the dead. Entire companies were lost. Among the dead were a father and son; the department's beloved chaplain; commanders and rookies. Smith tells their stories, the camaraderie in their companies, their families, and the massive recovery efforts that were undertaken in the days following the catastrophe. In a time when the world is still trying to come to terms with the horror of what happened, the courage and fortitude in the face of enormous personal danger and bereavement of the firefighters and other rescue workers offers a beacon of hope, a promise of redemption.