The Heat of the Moment: A Firefighters Stories of Life and Death Decisions

(Paperback)

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Description

One of the world's most senior female firefighters shares stories from her extraordinary life to explore how we respond in life-or-death situations. 'An inspirational memoir from an extraordinary woman . . . A humbling, jaw-dropping read' Viv Groskop 'This book will change the way you think. Forever' Cosmopolitan Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton has been a firefighter for eighteen years. She decides which of her colleagues rush into a burning building and how they confront the blaze. She makes the call to evacuate if she believes the options have been exhausted or that the situation has escalated beyond hope. Taking us to the very heart of firefighting, she immerses us in this extraordinary world; from scenes of devastation and crisis, through triumphs of bravery, to the quieter moments when she questions herself. Revealing her own story for the very first time, she recounts her years spent sleeping rough and her passion for a career that allows her to rescue others as she was never rescued herself. This book is the result of everything she has learnt about how we respond in our most extreme moments. 'This book challenges assumptions about who firefighters are, and about what women can do' The Guardian

Reviews

An inspirational memoir from an extraordinary woman. The Heat of the Moment does for the fire service what Adam Kays This Is Going to Hurt did for the NHS. A humbling, jaw-dropping read which redefines what is possible in life * Viv Groskop *
Gripping, heart-stopping and profoundly reassuring. Thank heavens for such courage. * Sue Black, author of All That Remains *
A vivid reminder of the horrors that firefighters face daily - and the debt of gratitude society owes them . . . This book challenges assumptions about who firefighters are, and about what women can do. * The Guardian *
[One of] the wonder women of our emergency services * Glamour *
An immersive insight into a job which few of us could do, by a woman whose award-winning research into decision-making in the emergency services has transformed policy at a global level. * Stylist *

Author Bio

Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton has been a firefighter since she was eighteen years old. She is now a Chief Fire Officer and one of the most senior female firefighters in the UK. After leaving home at fifteen and school at sixteen, she joined the fire service in Wales. While climbing the ranks, she studied at the Open University and then at Cardiff University, eventually completing a PhD in Psychology. Her subsequent research into incident command in the emergency services has not only won awards but has also influenced policy at a global level. Sabrina was recently conferred as an Honorary Fellow at Cardiff University. She lives with her husband and daughter in London.