Fire Watch is a 1984 book of short stories

Short story

A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...

 by Connie Willis

Connie Willis

Constance Elaine Trimmer Willis is an American science fiction writer. She has won eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards. Willis most recently won a Hugo Award for Blackout/All Clear...

 that touches on time travel

Time travel

Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...

, nuclear war

Nuclear warfare

Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...

, the end of the world, and cornball humour.

The title story, "Fire Watch", is about a time-travelling "historian" who goes back to The Blitz

The Blitz

The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...

 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. He's miffed because he spent years preparing to travel with St. Paul

Paul of Tarsus

Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...

 and gets sent to St. Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...

 in London, instead. This model of time travel also features in Willis's subsequent novels Doomsday Book

Doomsday Book (novel)

Doomsday Book is a 1992 science fiction novel by American author Connie Willis. The novel won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, and was shortlisted for other awards...

, To Say Nothing of the Dog

To Say Nothing of the Dog

To Say Nothing of the Dog: How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last is a 1997 comic science fiction novel by Connie Willis. It takes place in the same universe of time-traveling historians she explored in her story Fire Watch and novel Doomsday Book.To Say Nothing of the Dog won both the Hugo...

and Blackout/All Clear, set in the same continuity.

The stories are:

• "Fire Watch
  Fire Watch (story)
  "Fire Watch" is a science-fiction story written in 1982 by Connie Willis. The story involves a time-travelling historian who goes back to the Blitz in London, to participate in the fire watch at St. Paul's Cathedral....
  
  "
• "Service for the Burial of the Dead"
• "Lost and Found"
• "All My Darling Daughters"
• "The Father of the Bride"
• "A Letter from the Clearys
  A Letter from the Clearys
  "A Letter from the Clearys" is a short story written by Connie Willis published in the short story collection Fire Watch. In 1983 it won the Nebula Award for best science fiction published in the two years prior to 1983.-Setting:...
  
  "
• "The Sidon in the Mirror"
• "And Come from Miles Around"
• "Daisy, in the Sun"
• "Mail Order Clone"
• "Samaritan"
• "Blued Moon"

This was Connie Willis's first collection. Several of the stories won or were nominated for awards:

• "Fire Watch" won both a Hugo Award for Best Novelette
  Hugo Award for Best Novelette
  The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
  
   and a Nebula Award for Best Novelette
  Nebula Award for Best Novelette
  Winners of the Nebula Award for best Novelette. The stated year is that of publication; awards are given in the following year. Winning titles are listed first, with other nominees listed below.-External links:* * *...
  
   in 1983, besides other awards;
• "A Letter from the Clearys
  A Letter from the Clearys
  "A Letter from the Clearys" is a short story written by Connie Willis published in the short story collection Fire Watch. In 1983 it won the Nebula Award for best science fiction published in the two years prior to 1983.-Setting:...
  
  " won a Nebula Award for Best Short Story
  Nebula Award for Best Short Story
  Winners of the '“Nebula Award for Best Short Story”'. The stated year is that of publication; awards are given in the following year. Winning titles are listed first, with other nominees listed below.-Winners and nominees:-External links:* *...
  
   in 1983;
• "The Sidon in the Mirror" was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Novelette
  Hugo Award for Best Novelette
  The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
  
   and a Nebula Award for Best Novelette
  Nebula Award for Best Novelette
  Winners of the Nebula Award for best Novelette. The stated year is that of publication; awards are given in the following year. Winning titles are listed first, with other nominees listed below.-External links:* * *...
  
   in 1984;
• "Daisy, in the Sun" was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Short Story
  Hugo Award for Best Short Story
  The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
  
   in 1980;
• "Blued Moon" was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Novelette
  Hugo Award for Best Novelette
  The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
  
  in 1985.