Text size:

How the oral histories were taken

WILLIAM MURPHY | STAFF WRITER

August 13, 2005

The interviews of fire personnel collected after 9/11 were conducted informally. Questions were few, and appeared to be aimed at gently pressing firefighters and others to continue telling their stories.

Then Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen said at the time he wanted to create a record of what happened before individual memories faded and collective memory formed.

The interviews were conducted by fire marshals, who usually investigate arsons, and departmental investigators who normally work on disciplinary matters, a department spokeswoman said Friday.

The interviews were transcribed by volunteers from outside the department.

"It was hectic then and they were done whenever people were available," the spokeswoman said.

Ranking officials of the department were usually interviewed in their offices, and members of the lower ranks were interviewed in their firehouses.

One retired fire marshal said Friday that while he was at Ground Zero, he decided against being interviewed.

A captain who was interviewed said the oral history seemed to have been given so long ago that he didn't even bother to review it to see whether he wanted it edited before release, as he was entitled to under the court order forcing the Fire Department to make them public.