A. Absolutely! I come from a large family (eight kids). Although our parents weren’t particularly strict, they had high moral standards- honesty, integrity, respect, compassion… and expected their children to live by the same.
These standards are similar to those adopted by the Knights of Malta- loyalty, bravery, generosity, honor, respect, truth, service to the sick and contempt for death. The Maltese Cross, worn over the heart by firefighters across the globe, serves as a reminder to uphold these values.
I still believe that living a principled life- one that adheres to these standards- should be practiced, recognized, and celebrated. While the men and women I’ve written about are not perfect, they strive to be worthy of bearing the Maltese Cross. Hence the name of the book.
Q. What personal or professional experiences led to your interest in your subjects?
A. When I was a young woman I wanted to become a firefighter/paramedic. However, it was the 70s and women were still struggling to break the gender barriers. Also I discovered I was terrified of heights and afraid of fire, so it didn’t take long to realize how ill-suited I was for that vocation. However, two of my younger brothers did become firefighters.
Years later, my brother Eric, who was by then a fire chief, recounted his experience of getting blown out of a building when he was a captain. It sparked a curiosity about the people who bravely do what I could not. I wanted to understand why some people have the courage to do such dangerous work- what motivates them as young recruits and keeps them returning to the work year after year.
Q. What questions or problems do you explore in your work?
A. Although it was not my initial intention, I ended up exploring some difficult challenges that firefighters experience but rarely talk about.
Most of us are aware that entering a burning building is dangerous. However, we don’t always remember that firefighters have elevated risk of developing cancer and cardiac events. Firefighters are repeatedly exposed to carcinogens, irregular sleep, interrupted meals and perhaps worst of all, traumatic events that can forever haunt them. These can have long-term effects upon physical and mental health.
Q. What surprised you most during the research for one of your books?
A. I was prepared to hear plenty of “war stories” from firefighters who had experienced close calls, and some of those can be found in my book. I was surprised though, at how open people were about their struggles. So many men and women punctuated their interviews with, “I’ve never told this to anybody before.” Their candor was sometimes laced with embarrassment, sometimes with laughter and often with tears. I was honored by their trust and compelled to share their stories as authentically as possible.
Q. What has been the most challenging part of writing or researching?
A. Getting out of my own head. After all the interviews were conducted, I was overwhelmed with the fear of failure. These stories needed to be told, but I doubted my ability to truly honored the men and women who owned them. I shelved the project but after a fourteen year hiatus, I realized that I needed to stop allowing my fears to paralyze me and just write the book. Once I began, everything fell into place.
Q. How do you balance storytelling with factual accuracy in your writing?
A. This was key in my book. It was important to give an accurate account of the people I interviewed. I took great care not to misquote or embellish people’s stories.
Still, I wanted my readers, whether they are firefighters or not, to relate to the personalities behind each story. We all share similar emotions…fear, regret, excitement, trepidation, pride…I accomplished this by weaving my own parallel experiences and insights around each interview. This bridged the gap between the firefighter and the reader who had never been near a fire. Our experiences might be different, but our emotions are shared.
Q. What is the oddest piece of research you’ve done for a book?
Garrie in full gear visiting a burn building in research for her book.
A. I spent a day in a burn building at the Massachusetts Fire Academy. This is a multi-level concrete building that is filled with burning straw. Recruits learn to navigate smoke-filled halls and stairwells while hauling heavy hoses and knocking out fires.
The weather was extremely hot and humid that day and I was wearing approximately 100 pounds of gear- so heavy that when I was forced to the ground because of the fire’s immense heat I couldn’t get up without help.
This training was hard work for the recruits, but they were young, fit men in their twenties. I was well into my fifties, used to a desk job and would never have been described as “fit.” What could go wrong?
I laugh every time I read this chapter. It’s one of my favorite parts of the book.
Visit Garrie Madison Stoutimore’s page at https://nhauthors.com/garrie-madison-stoutimore/.