Terr G. Susong 

I have read a lot of books and articles about the use of puns in the writing of a book. Most say puns s should be used sparely or not at all. I have used puns since I was a child. Some were funny and some not so funny (in other ears). Dicitionary.com defines a pun as…The humorous use of a word or phrase as to emphasize or suggest its different meaning or application or the use of words that are alike in sound but different in meaning a play on words. Really! Most puns are shorter and funnier than the definition its self! “Have you read the book about hands? It’s a real page turner!”

\I have four pun mentors that have stretched over three generations. They are as follows: Groucho Marx, Morey Amsterdam (Dick Van Dyke’s side kick), Greg GutField (Fox The Five) and last but surely not the least Alan Ada (M A S H). They were masters at the art of punning. I am nowhere near any of these men and their craft but I try.

If I didn’t use puns in my writing of this book then it would lose its effect. The title: “FIREHOUSE FUNHOUSE…DON’T GET MAD GET EVEN!” are puns in itself. I would have to title it “FIREHOUSE FUNHOUSE I’M SORRY!”

‘’Hi, Terry—you old pun thrower you. Lots of luck! Love Susan. I don’t remember who Susan was but she wrote it in my senior high yearbook.

My puns get me a lot of laughs and many rolling of eyes and “Stop it!” The puns come to me daily. One day last week my wife and I were driving down a street. There was a row of pretty trees. They were trimmed nicely and pretty as a picture. All of the tree trunks were wrapped neatly with a green wrap half way up. My wife ask me why the green wrap had been applied to trunk. I didn’t have the answer. After a pause of maybe ten seconds I blurted out an answer “It keeps them from barking.” She looked at me and rolled her eyes.

I think most firefighters will not have any trouble understanding my puns. Heck, they probably have use most of them. If you don’t understand any of the puns don’t panic or call 911: just stop by your local fire station (or if you live in Tennessee…fire hall) and ask them to translate it for you!

I was a professional firefighter for twenty-two years. I retired at the age of forty-eight. Sometimes I wish I had stayed on the department for a few more years but I was concerned about my health. All the firehouse cooking was catching up with me. In 1973 as a young lad I weighed in at 140 pounds on my first day on the job. At the age of forty-eight I was now twice the man tipping the scales at 270 pounds. Firefighting is a young mans’ job. I was concerned about the old ticker giving out on a working fire or even just sitting around the firehouse having a not so heathy meal. So, with my two years of military time counting toward my retirement I was able to leave with a nice fifty two percent pension.

Some firemen after leaving the department are finished with their past life and move on to other things and never look back. The majority of us have it in our blood and carry the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly for the reminding breathing moments of our lives. Then after we pass on we are given a funeral and visitation. Almost every one of these ceremonies are cookie cutter but done with the greatest of respect and honor of the deceased It also brings a gathering of the brotherhood of fireman and policemen. I have attended many of these both while on duty and since I retired.

My goal in writing this book is give you a small look inside the firehouse…a place I spent probably a third of my life. Most of the things I will be writing about here hopefully will make you laugh. I have tried to keep it clean and respectable. That in its self was a very difficult task. There is so much I could tell you but a lot of things are better off not in black and white.