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by TERRY GOLWAY
NEARLY three years have passed since 343 members of the Fire Department of New York perished on a single, horrible day. The bookstores remain filled with offerings from writers seeking to explain the heroism and sacrifice that were so evident on 9/11. The latest, and certainly one of the best, is Tom Downey's, "The Last Men Out."
Downey's book tells the story of the men of Rescue 2, the Brooklyn-based company made famous by Downey's legendary uncle, Ray Downey, who served as Rescue 2's captain for 14 years. The family connection came in handy when Tom Downey, a filmmaker, wanted to make a television documentary about Rescue 2 in early 2001. By then, Downey's famous uncle was a chief in charge of the FDNY's special operations. With a little help from the chief, Tom Downey was given extraordinary access to these elite firefighters on the eve of catastrophe.
Downey lived with the men of Rescue 2 in the months leading up to 9/11. The bonds the author formed with his subjects are evident, but Downey ultimately is a storyteller, not a firefighter. He keeps his distance, and that allows him to tell an insightful, dramatic and emotional tale that deserves a place alongside Dennis Smith's classic firefighting memoir, "Report From Engine Co. 82."
Downey's book doesn't have Smith's literary flair, but it does explain firefighting and firefighters.
Why do they do it? Here is Downey's unadorned answer: "The fire," he writes, "is a pure high, a rush that any self-respecting suburban dad should be ashamed of craving. But the high, the rush, the fun of it are the firemen's secret. It's what they love almost as much as their wives, their kids, their brothers on the job."
Downey's book, at its most-basic level, begins with the arrival of Rescue 2's new captain, Phil Ruvolo. The men of Rescue 2 — and they are all men — have reason to be suspicious of the new boss. When Ruvolo was a lieutenant in Rescue 5 on Staten Island, he somehow convinced the FDNY brass to let Rescue 5 respond to some alarms in Brooklyn — Rescue 2's home borough. Because he understands firefighters, Downey knows this is a strike against Ruvolo. New York's firefighters have been battling each other over territory since the days when Boss Tweed commanded Engine 6 in Manhattan. Downey writes: "Who was Ruvolo to mess with . . . tradition just because his company didn't see enough action in its own borough?"
Ruvolo's battle for acceptance provides the book with its narrative arc. Along the way, there is unspeakable tragedy. Three months before 9/11, three firefighters lost their lives on Father's Day. Two of them were from Rescue 4 in Queens, and their deaths haunted their brothers in Rescue 2.
The reader knows, of course, where all of this is heading. But that knowledge takes away none of the drama and power of Downey's story. When the towers collapse, killing Downey's uncle, seven members of Rescue 2 and hundreds of other firefighters, readers will gasp even though they knew it was coming.
In "The Last Men Out," Tom Downey explains why firefighters became a symbol of duty and sacrifice after 9/11. But he also explains that they are not action heroes, but flesh and blood. He does justice to the job, and to the men and women who love doing it.
Terry Golway, city editor of the New York Observer, is author of "So Others Might Live," a history of the FDNY.E-mail: TJGolway@aol.com
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