First, Put Out the Fire! is a fast-paced treatise about the devastating impacts of wildfires in western national forests. Jim’s narrative style and his grasp of forest history are exceptional. He avoids the usual traps in his explanations of the roles that thinning and prescribed fire can play in reducing the frequency and severity of much larger wildfires. This is an excellent book that deserves its own niche in forestry and forest policy classrooms.