AUSTIN, Texas – A Vietnam combat veteran and 27-year veteran of the Austin Fire Department wrote a book detailing his career.
- Veteran details career as firefighter
- Saved people during 1981 floods
- Charles Erlandson Jr.’s book is now on sale
Charles Erlandson Jr. is the author of Real Fire Stories of Fire Engine 7, a collection of stories from his time as a firefighter in Austin. He joined AFD soon after leaving Vietnam. Erlandson said it was his way to make up for the horrors he experienced during the war.
"When I got back from Vietnam I needed the adrenaline," Erlandson said. "When it I got onto the fire service because it was a chance to make up for the year I spent killing people."
Erlandson and the other firefighters of Fire Engine 7 played a pivotal role in the response to the 1981 Memorial Day floods. Their engine responded to 24 calls throughout the night, saving 20 people.
The crew saved 15 lives during one call to a Central Austin apartment building near Shoal Creek. Erlandson said the people held a flood party to wait out the storm and fire crews had to convince them to leave before the building collapsed.
"My job was to affect rescue of these people in this apartment complex," Erlandson said. "If we didn’t they were going to die, and I don’t want nobody to die on my watch."
You can purchase Erlandson's book online book retailers Amazon, iTunes and Barnes and Noble.
