Guest Post + Giveaway: Joan Swan on Firemen as Heroes

A big welcome today to author Joan Swan!  Her debut release, Fever, is one of the most anticipated romance releases of the spring, and is already garnering her praise.  Fever is steamy and edgy and really fantastic (my review will be published closer to its release date).

Today, Joan is going to give us her opinion on that age-old question — What makes firemen such great heroes?  Joan has a pretty good perspective, since she's married to one. (Lucky Joan!)

Joan Swan: My Phoenix Rising series is based on a hazmat firefighting team that was in the wrong place at the wrong time and suffered severe injuries when a military warehouse exploded, exposing the team to secret chemicals that should never have existed. These chemicals instill paranormal abilities within the team members, and while they heal and move on in their own way—some staying with the fire service, some not—firefighting is one of those jobs that never really leaves them. Once a firefighter, always a firefighter.

Even in real life, firefighters are heralded as heroes. Fiction only raises them up another notch. So what is it about firefighters that make them such desirable heroes? I think it’s the 4 Ss: strong, smart, sensitive and sexy.

Strong: From climbing flight after flight of stairs with a hundred pounds of gear to hiking miles of forested terrain in triple digit heat, a firefighter’s job is extremely physically demanding. They need to be able to not only lift twenty foot ladders, but throw them—vertically. Common duties include carrying unconscious victims as dead weight, dragging miles of hose, controlling a hose spray jetting out at 150psi, repelling from multi-story buildings…

I could go on, but I think they’re sounding pretty darn strong already.

Smart: From the way these guys act when they don’t have a hard-on for fire, you’d swear they ranked below the IQ of their TV remote. I mean, they’re such GUYS! They say stupid guy things, make stupid guy noises, play stupid guy practical jokes.

But with firefighting, Darwin’s law prevails: survival of the fittest—in this case, fittest of mind, not just body. Firefighters need to understand the physics of fire. They need a deep working knowledge of weather, machinery, building construction, tools, vehicles, emergency medicine, psychology…

You get the point.

Sensitive: I think this is one of the main differences between firefighters and cops. Firefighters need to be sensitive. Cops need to be tough. 

Firefighters come in and care for the injured or sick and often deal with the family as well, which takes patience and compassion and serious people skills. They need to be persuasive but understanding, commanding yet considerate. Charm is a huge benefit to firefighters dealing with the public and they pick up on that quick (see Smart above.)

Most firefighters are great with kids—because, honestly, they’re just big kids themselves. All fire departments are a huge part of the community and are invited to every function where you will find them handing out candy, stickers, balloons and rides on the fire engine to the kids. Firefighters can often be found inside classrooms giving demonstrations or guiding a tour of 30 kids through the firehouse.

Sexy: If Strong, Smart and Sensitive aren’t enough to = Sexy… consider: These guys:

• Cook
• Clean
• Do Laundry
• Are polite
• Workout everyday
• Know how to fix almost anything
• Appreciate strong women
• And…look awesome in uniform

What do you think, are firefighters good heroes? What do you love most in a hero? Who is one of your most recent favorite heroes and why? 

Author Bio:  Joan Swan is a triple RWA® Golden Heart finalist and writes sexy romantic suspense with a paranormal twist.  Her debut novel with Kensington Brava, FEVER, releases February 28, 2012.  Her second novel, BLAZE, follows in October, 2012. In her day job, she works as a sonographer for one of the top ten medical facilities in the nation and lives on the California central coast in beautiful wine country with her husband and two daughters.

Fever: When Dr. Alyssa Foster is taken hostage by a prison inmate, she knows she's in deep trouble. Not just because Teague Creek is desperate for freedom, but because the moment his fingers brush against her skin, Alyssa feels a razor-sharp pang of need... 

A man with a life sentence has nothing to lose. At least Teague doesn't, until his escape plan develops a fatal flaw: Alyssa. On the run from both the law and deadly undercover operatives, he can only give her lies, but every heated kiss tells him the fire between them could be just as devastating as the flames that changed him forever... (Release Date: 2/28)

Giveaway: 

• A print copy of FEVER, US/Canada shipping.
• All comments are eligible for tour grand prize of either a COLOR NOOK or KINDLE FIRE.
• Enter:http://joanswan.com/giveaways/blog-tour-ereader/

UPDATE:  A winner has already been chosen - thank you for stopping by!

Buy links:  Amazon| Barnes & Noble | Booksamillion

Joan's links:  Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads