Oral History Project

Announcement

December 3, 2006

Historian Mike Legeros has started an oral history project, recording retiring or retired Raleigh Fire Department members. The format is an interview, with Mike asking some questions but mostly listening. The interviews last about an hour, and Mike hopes to conduct at least one interview a week.

The purpose of this is preservation, and preserving the personal heritage of the Raleigh Fire Department. The digital recordings will be archived and at later point transcribed. The content will also be edited as necessary before any public presentation.

Retiring or retired Raleigh Fire Department members interested in participating in this project can contact Mike either via e-mail or by telephone. He's listed in the book. He'll also be initiating contact with individual retiring and retired members.
 

Project Status

Interview Questions - Release Form - Interview Highlights

• What is your full name?
• What is your age
• When did you retire?
• What was your retiring rank?
• When were you hired?
• What was your starting salary?
• What were you doing prior to joining the fire department?
• Why did you join the fire department?
• Are you related to any present or former fire department members? 
• Are you distantly related to any members?
• Tell me about the hiring process.
• Do you remember the names of the others hired at that time?
• Tell me about the training process.
• What was your first station assignment?
• What was the first apparatus that you rode?
• Who was your first Captain?
• Who else was working at the station?
• Do you remember your first fire?
• Do you remember your first medical call?
• What were some of the bigger fires or major incidents that you recall?
• Were you active in the union?
• Were you active in other local, regional, or state professional organizations?
• Tell me about life at the station.
• Was your family part of the station life, with regular or rare visits?
• Tell me about pranks or other silliness at the station.
• Did you have a nickname?
• Do you remember the nicknames of others?
• How has your health been?
• What else would you tell me about your experiences as a Raleigh firefighter?
   

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Copyright 2008 by Michael J. Legeros