A retired Louisville firefighter is now a published author.
Using the notes he took over most of his career, the former assistant fire chief lets readers in on his life's work and why it has little to do with battling flames.
It is a job unlike any other and a responsibility that weighs heavily. "You're affecting the lives of a community of people," Michael Ford, Jr. said.
Ford calls it a thrill ride you'll never forget. "A kid who was burnt up, I know he lived past a year. Is he still living? How'd he do in his life? It's like an open book that you never get to read the end of the story," he said.
In the midst of thousands of fire and medical runs, Ford was busy writing a book of his own."I started to think to myself, you know I'm learning something in what I'm seeing. It's affecting me," Ford said. "You know, they say that in the firehouse all the time, 'one day I'm going to write a book about this,' and I kept saying to myself, one day I really should write a book about this."
The father of five retired in 2017 to teach professional development, help local children in need and start schools in Africa.