Flesh

Paddy Maguire has spent forty years chasing flames through Chicago, following in the footsteps of his father, a fireman who died in the Great Fire of 1871. From hand-drawn reels and leather hose to steam engines and horse-drawn rigs, Paddy has witnessed the department’s transformation while remaining fiercely loyal to the traditions that shaped him.

Now a seasoned lieutenant at Engine 189, Paddy trusts strong horses, skilled hands, and the steady pulse of a steam pump. He has little patience for young mechanics boasting about gasoline engines, horsepower, and speed, especially when their machines fail at the very moment they are needed.

As the modern age presses into the firehouse, Paddy finds himself defending more than an outdated method of fighting fires. He is protecting a way of life, a hard-earned code of courage and competence, and the pride of men who know that every second—and every living thing in their care—matters when the alarm sounds.