Austin Macauley’s talented author of an autobiography I Was a London Firefighter; David C. Pike, got his book’s excerpt featured in an e-newspaper Fire Rescue 1. The feature cited the editor’s note, saying that the book is based on factual narratives and personal experiences of members of the London Fire Brigade. Moreover, the book involves the subjects of the bombing campaign in London, the status of female firefighters and at the end mentions the Grenfell Tower fire of 2017. The excerpt mentioned in the feature is from chapter “Anatomy of a Fire”.

The theme of the book highlights the bravery and sacrifices along with the struggles of the firefighters. It describes the evolution of the London fire brigade and mentions the heroism of the historical figures. The author has also described her experiences as a fireman. The book depicts sadness, humour, bravery, tragedy and triumph.

The author served his thirty plus years in the London Fire Brigade. He has also been awarded the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct when he was young. He has also served at the busiest fire station of London, Brixton. He rowed himself to The Guinness Book of World Record for raising funds for a charity. He retired from the senior rank in 1996.