Since the first edition of Essentials of Firefighting was published in 1978, more than 2 million firefighters have used the manual for training. Because so many successful firefighters have trained from this manual over three decades, Essentials of Fire Fighting is often referred to as "the bible" of basic firefighter skills. In addition, the information in Essentials is commonly accepted as the standard for fire fighting knowledge in North America.

This 5th edition is a completely new revision and includes all the information needed to meet the fire fighting requirements for National Fire Protection Association (NFPA®) 1001, Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications (2008 edition), Fire Fighter Levels I and II. All photographs and illustrations are in full color. This manual includes instructional tools such as learning objectives, key terms, case histories, and review questions in each chapter to enhance a student's understanding. To help students with psychomotor learning, skill sheets depicting firefighter skills are included in most chapters. These feature step-by-step photographs and instructions for completing each skill. Each manual also includes a bonus CD-ROM that provides additional learning materials, case studies, animations, and learning activities.