To read Christy Warren’s Flash Point is to embark on a true hero’s journey. Shuttled between her divorced parents' homes in the Bay Area, ignored by all of the dysfunctional adults around her, and left to protect her younger brothers from chaos, the last thing young Christy imagined was that she’d become a firefighter. Yet Christy achieves so much more, ultimately ranking as a captain at the esteemed Berkeley Fire Department, quite literally known as the “BFD.” 

 

Follow Christy as she advances from EMT to paramedic to firefighter – taking on the same physical and mental challenges as her male peers while also gaining their respect as she assumes leadership roles. Readers will feel gripped by her impressive advancement, rejoice in her triumphs, and grieve with her over some of the hardest realities a first responder faces. Those realities took their toll on Christy. As happens with so many, PTSD blew everything apart, hurling Christy into a rough-and-tumble ride deciphering what was happening to her and digging her way out of it. 

 

Fresh, riveting, and radically honest, Christy’s story shines a brilliant light on the valiant work of first responders, specifically paramedics and firefighters.

 

You can work your way out of PTSD. This is Christy’s ultimate message, and her story ushers readers through the concrete steps that helped her find purpose, meaning, and joy in her life even when she could not picture this progress herself in her darkest moments. 

 

If you or a loved one is suffering from PTSD, Flash Point provides a space for finding solid ground and a possible way out of feeling so much pain. If you are an aspiring first responder, this book could help prepare you for the realities of this noble profession. Either way, the wisdom you’ll gain from Christy’s story will strengthen your belief in human resilience, the power of community, and the uncanny truth that life “begins at the end of your comfort zone.”