On September 11, the world was shown the face of bravery. As one woman so poignantly put it: “As we ran out, they ran in.” These heroes were doing the job they do each day, protecting more than eight million residents in the 320 square miles that is New York City. That horrible day, we were made heartbreakingly aware of the risks these people take daily, risks their loved ones knew all too well.

First-hand witnesses to the heroism of the FDNY, the photographers of the Daily News knew these risks too. They have been covering the life and death situations—the human drama that fire creates—since the founding of the the Daily News in 1919.

These seasoned photographers of the Daily News have chased fire trucks in their radio cars since the earliest days of photojournalism, photographing children and animals being rescued from burning buildings and capturing the disbelief on the faces of those gazing at the remnants of their lives going up in smoke. These photographers know intimately the faces of those left behind from covering the all too many funerals, mourning with the families a loss that felt not only across a city of millions, but also acutely within a deeply bonded fraternity across the country.

Culled from the archive of the Daily News, consisting of more than six million images, this book represents more than eighty years of the world renowned New York City Fire Department in action, fighting fires, rescuing lives, and bringing peace and order to chaos, fear, and destruction.

In the Fire Department of New York, there are more than 11,400 Fire Officers and Firefighters. In addition, the FDNY includes 2,800 EMS and Paramedics personnel. This book is a tribute to their dedication, bravery, and humanity.