“Powerful, honest, & moving.” — Open Book
Who doesn’t rush to the window when a fire truck rushes by? Bryan Ratushniak, has spent a thirty-two-year career working on the busiest fire trucks in Canada and has detailed his adventures in this witty memoir.

The book details the emotional damage inflicted by the horrors of the job and how the author came out the other side more or less in one piece. Ratushniak shares the ups and downs of balancing home and professional life while trying to hold onto his sanity.

On the Job: A Firefighter’s Life is filled with candid, humorous, tragic, and hopeful stories from behind the “big red doors.”

Originally from Geraldton, Ontario, Bryan Ratushniak moved to Toronto as a young man to become a firefighter. He was promoted to the rank of Firefighter Captain before retiring. He received three letters of commendation for rescues made On the Job. As a firefighter, he started competing as a bodybuilder winning Canadian Drug Free Athlete of the Year 2004 and Natural Mr. Canada 2005. He was October for the 1999 Toronto Firefighters Calendar, published in support of the Princess Margaret Hospital. Since retiring has worked in the film industry as a screenwriter and producer. He has two adult sons and lives in Toronto with his wife and dog.

Bryan Ratushniak's profile page

“With humour and candour Ratushniak weaves the light and the dark into wonderfully compelling moments which make us realize what’s it’s truly like to be a firefighter and an everyday hero.”

Dale Curd, author of <i>Living Lightly</i> and host of CBC HelloGoodbye

“Powerful, honest, and moving.”

Open Book