Every day in America, 658,000 people call 911. They crash their cars, suffer medical emergencies, or need help escaping insufferable circumstances. This is the story of the 136 firefighters answering the bell for the 80,000 residents of Sachem City. Formally known as the home of the Industrial Revolution, Sachem City now exists on the perpetual edge of financial collapse. The 2008 economic crash finally tips the city into insolvency, and Chapter 9 is declared. This forces out the beloved mayor, dissolves the City Council, voids all union contracts, and puts the city under the despotic reign of a court-appointed Receiver, ex-Supreme Court Justice Arthur Tillinghast. As the fiscal crisis deepens, whole city departments are abolished. Layoffs commence as people lose their homes and businesses close. Even worse, retirees lose half of their pensions at the whim of the Receiver. With their contract expiring before the city goes bankrupt, fifty-four firefighters are forced to retire. The eighty-two that remain must now decide. Either work ninety-six hours a week with rolling-blackouts closing stations, or walk out the door with nothing. THE FIRE SERVICE OF SACHEM CITY is based loosely on the events that nearly destroyed America’s economy in 2008. It follows Fire Academy Class 42 as they enter this new profession during perilous times. As mainstream/literary fiction, this story attempts to straddle the horizon where non-fiction and fiction converge. By connecting the entire 207-year history of the fire department, it is the first book in a projected trilogy, the second of which is already underway.