It was 1986, on a warm summer night and I found myself on the front porch of my grandfather's home. I was then a new Fire Chief and my grandfather was a former Assistant Fire Chief. He was once again sharing those wild tales of firefighting in his time. Often he would tell me of that 1923 American LaFrance and how it performed on Chr...

This is Part 5 in a series of articles that provide oral history guidelines for those who share our passion for collecting American fire history before it is lost to the ages. The types of questions you ask are critical to the success of your interview. Open-ended questions are questions that encourage people to talk about what is important to them...

This is Part 4 in a series of articles that provide oral history guidelines for those who share our passion for collecting American fire history before it is lost to the ages. The pre-plan In preparation for your interview, you should: Learn as much as you can about the person beforehand.Bring a file folder of archived material.Be prepared with a s...

This is Part 3 in a series of articles that provide oral history guidelines for those who share our passion for collecting American fire history before it is lost to the ages. There is a pretty good chance at this point that you already know a person that you would like to interview. If not, look around your organization and you will probably find ...

This is Part 2 in a series of articles that provide oral history guidelines for those who share our passion for collecting American fire history before it is lost to the ages. Interview styles If there is a contemporary interview style that you could easily identify with and effectively adopt, it might be that of a mental health care professional. ...

The American fire service is fascinating in terms of the breadth of its history, the richness of its traditions, and the deeply embedded values and beliefs of those that serve this profession. The National Fire Heritage Center (NFHC) exists precisely to document and hold in trust the history and culture of the American Fire Service for future gener...