Before the outbreak of the Troubles, a typical firefighter’s year might have included call-outs to chimney fires, the occasional house fire or road accident, then everything changed, and Northern Ireland’s firefighters spent almost every day of the next thirty years racing to the scenes of atrocities, running towards the gravest danger.

The stories cover a uniquely challenging period for firefighters – full of exhilaration, fear, bravery and sorrow. What comes across is a universal desire to honour the uniform, to be brave when the need for courage is acute, and to be determined to cover your mate’s back – no matter what.