FIRE! FIRE!

The big, big plus of Gibbons' report on firefighting is its coverage not only of familiar city procedures, but also of how volunteers respond and operate in the country--and, for special interests, how fires are fought in the forest and on the waterfront. In each instance, there's a lot of up-to-date detail for the picture-book format: the city fire first sets off an apartment smoke-alarm; communications, organization, equipment all get attention; women-firefighters are visible; and the labeled pictures provide still further particulars. In the country the payoff is even greater--because most of us don't think about volunteers keeping their gear in their cars, or know where the water comes from. Like Gibbons' books generally, this one substitutes a semblance of movement and action for drama--but there is indeed vitality in the total, word-and-picture presentation of the information.