He was the author of 16 books, the most notable of which is the memoir Report from Engine Co. 82, a chronicle of his career as a firefighter with the New York City Fire Department in a South Bronx firehouse from the late 1960s and into the 1970s.
After 9/11, he chronicled the 57 days he spent in rescue and recovery operations at the World Trade Center collapse in a bestselling book, Report from Ground Zero.
[4] Dennis Edward Smith was born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn and grew up in a tenement on the East Side of Manhattan.
The magazine became the journal of record for the American fire service and accorded Smith as its editor the opportunity to educate himself on most of the United States' emergency management concerns.
From 1975 to 1995, he was president or chairman of the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club in the Southeast Bronx, where 9000 children were members.
He also served on the national board of advisors of Boys and Girls Clubs of America and was elected to that institution's prestigious "Hall of Fame".
It provides emergency service management information and conclusions to congress and has been honored by visits from presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Homeland Security head Tom Ridge, and many other congressional leaders.
[citation needed] The International Association of Fire Chiefs award cited Smith: For your accurate and colorful portrayal of the fire service in your books, for your vision in creating the Foundation for the Health and Safety of American Firefighters, and for your dedication to education by pioneering Firehouse Magazine.Smith received a B.A.