Peter Vallas has always followed his dreams and has never given up. He wanted to be a professional artist; he became one. He wanted to become a writer; he published several books. He wanted to be an actor; he acted in the movie Exit and is now working on his own movie. And in this memoir, The Fire Within, Vallas shares his life story that speaks of these successes and also of his hard work, perseverance, and determination.

Acknowledging both the joys and the sorrows, Vallas discusses the hard times of poverty, making mistakes, and learning from those mistakes. But he also writes about the many accomplishments of his life including forty-eight years in fire service-from firefighter to lieutenant to captain and fire marshal. Credited with saving forty-two lives in his storied career, Vallas has been decorated by two presidents and received an award from the American Character Awards.


Including detailed accounts, The Fire Within is filled with bittersweet remembrances of his family and dreams-a chronology of events from boyhood to the present, turning his dreams into reality along the way. He grew up with nothing and became something.