Having been a consultant for 10 years, John Blascovich is no stranger to tight spots. But few consulting engagements can compare to the time he found himself standing between a large fire and a 3,000-gallon propane tank.

Blascovich, 39, a principal at A.T. Kearney's New York office, is also a volunteer firefighter in Plandome, a village on Long Island.

In August 1995, after a long dry summer, large brush fires erupted in the Pine Barrens, a 100,000-acre ecosystem in eastern Long Island. As the fires grew out of control, calls requesting mutual aid assistance got Blascovich, who was then serving as chief, and a six-member crew involved for the next 24 hours.

"At one point, our truck was flagged down by an agitated man along County Road 31," Blascovich says. "We turned into the parking lot and discovered that the brush fire had nearly reached his establishment, which happened to be a propane gas distribution depot. We found ourselves between a large fire and a large, 3,000-gallon propane tank! Needless to say, we were on our toes as we held the fire back until additional units arrived."

Blascovich has been helping to protect Plandome, a 1,300-resident community, since he was 18. An engineer by training, he'd accompany his father, today a 30-year member, to the firehouse and help repair the fire trucks. As he got older, he served as an officer of the department for 10 years and was chief for two.

"Firefighting helps me keep everything in perspective," Blascovich says. "No matter how bad it gets at work, it's almost never life-and-death in a consulting assignment."

It's not unusual for his pager to go off after he puts in a 15-hour day as a consultant. But when he gets those late-night calls, the adrenaline kicks in.

A Mom and a Little Chinese Empress

On the weekends many parents take their daughters to the library or to swimming, ballet, or gymnastics. Laurie Letts, a global benefits consultant in Hewitt Associates' actuarial practice, does all of the above for her 5-1/2-year-old Chinese-born daughter — just on Saturday. "Talk about overscheduling a child!" says Letts, 51, chuckling. Letts adopted little Abbie when she was five months old.

Sundays are just as busy. Mother and daughter take a two-hour Mandarin language and Chinese culture class, as they have been doing for the past three years.

"She can look in the mirror and see that she doesn't look like me… I want her to feel proud of where she came from, and I think one way of supporting her is by me learning as much as I can about her origins."

Abbie was one of the first 300 children adopted by Americans after China in 1994 reopened the foreign adoption program it had shut down in the early 1990s. The Lettses' studies took them back to China this past summer for a three-week culture camp sponsored by Our Chinese Daughters Foundation. Along with 16 adults and 12 young girls, the Lettses learned about Chinese history and art, and visited majestic sites such as the Great Wall.

The Chinese community says she has "the classic beauty of a Chinese Empress," says Abbie's mom.

Up, Up and Away

When Phil Fry, a consultant at Diamond Technology Partners, wants to escape, he literally flies away.

"One of the neat things about flying is that it takes a lot of concentration," says Fry, 33, who obtained his pilot's license about a year ago. "It's a good escape, and it forces you to think about something other than work. But, if you are sick or distracted, it could be dangerous. So, I make sure I'm mentally prepared."

Based out of Palwaukee airport outside of Chicago, Fry, who has about 70 hours of flying under his belt, typically heads toward northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin to practice his maneuvers. On occasion, he takes his wife and friends on a day trip.

Eventually, Fry says, he'd like to own his own plane, learn to fly higher-performance aircraft, and get his instrument rating, which would allow him to fly under more adverse weather conditions.

"It's quite different from commercial flying," Fry says. "You feel the wind and the air currents more, and the ground is closer. The other way is like flying in a bus."

End Game

When it comes to piloting yourself across crowded airport corridors, Mona Steinberg, a human resources consultant for Hewitt Associates, claims she has found the ultimate luggage solution.

Steinberg is a big fan of the SaddleBag, a computer backpack made by Kensington.

"It's great for those sprints through the airport," says Steinberg, who today wields advanced-packing credentials given she's the mother of a two-year-old. "It's very lightweight and it has a lot of different compartments, including one for a cell phone and another for an airline ticket," explains Steinberg.

She bought it primarily to ease the pain in her back and free up her hands. The consultant says she was the first one in the company's San Francisco office to buy one two years ago, and 15 colleagues have purchased one since then.

"It has really held up in terms of durability. I'm very hard on it," says Steinberg, who is looking to replace her bag soon. The SaddleBag sells for $89.

One of its nicest qualities is that it also functions as a shoulder bag, and has hide-away backpack straps. The dividers within the bag help keep her organized. And because it has a business casual look, the SaddleBag can be easily taken into a meeting without drawing too much attention.

Time Off: He Puts Out Fires Everywhere

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