Title: Fatal Accident (Garden City FD)

General Information: 

1. Place of collection: Garden City Fire Department – Garden City, NY (via phone call from Hanover, NH)
2. Date of Collection: November 4, 2019
3. Informant: Cody George
4. Genre: Customary Folklore – Legend

Informant Information:

• Cody George is a volunteer firefighter for the Garden City, NY fire department. He is currently 24 years old and lives in Garden City while commuting to downtown New York for his day job during the week. Cody was born and raised in Garden City, New York. He is currently in training and holds the title of Firefighter at the Garden City Fire Department but has already been a crucial member of the team and assisted in over 100 calls. 

Context:

• Cultural Context: 
  • Firefighters are often required to adapt to the calls they receive. Because of this they must be ready for any type of incident that comes up and must be ready to change their tactics if required.

• Social Context:
  • When asked about a certain legend or story that really stuck out with our informant, he mentioned this car crash because of its proximity to his home and because it was a prime legend among the department in terms of how one call can turn into something completely different within a matter of moments. 

Item:

• Near Cody’s house in the town where he works, there was a fatal car accident where an individual was DoA (Dead on Arrival). The Fire Department was initially asked to come clean up a gas spill from the car but as soon as they arrived they noticed that the incident would require more than that. Although our informant was not qualified to handle this incident, he did recall that they used certain cutting tools and that this story has been passed along throughout the years as a notable experience.

Associated Audio:

Informant’s Comments:

• Cody said it was a very eye-opening experience and that it was almost surreal because it was one of the first dead bodies he had ever seen.

Collector’s Comments:

• I found it very interesting that our informant was willing to share such a dark story with us and was surprised by how this story carried such weight among the department. I cannot imagine what my reaction might have been if I were put in the same situation as him but since they were prepared and had been practicing all their other rituals and training traditions they felt prepared and use this legend as a reminder for future calls.

Collector’s Name: Albie Austin

Tags:

• Fatal, Legend, Garden City

Title: Dinner of the Week (Garden City FD)

General Information: 

1. Place of collection: Garden City Fire Department – Garden City, NH (via phone call from Hanover, NH)
2. Date of Collection: November 4, 2019
3. Informant: Cody George
4. Genre: Customary Folklore – Ritual

Informant Information:

Cody George is a volunteer firefighter for the Garden City, NY fire department. He is currently 24 years old and lives in Garden City while commuting to downtown New York for his day job during the week. Cody was born and raised in Garden City, New York. He is currently in training and holds the title of Firefighter at the Garden City Fire Department but has already been a crucial member of the team and assisted in over 100 calls. 

Context:

• Cultural Context: 
  • The firefighters at the Garden City Fire Department use this Monday night dinner as something consistent in their week to week job. Because their job can be so unpredictable they use this as an opportunity to all eat together and to keep the mood light amongst each other.
• Social Context: 
  • This ritual or tradition was brought up when the interviewee was asked about anything the department does on a consistent basis. Unlike some of the other department we analyzed, this department puts a heavy premium on dinners and events like this because it unifies the firefighters but it also allows for a positive environment in the firehouse, just in a different manner than some of the other departments do.

Item:

Every Monday night the group holds a dinner and changes the chef each week.

Associated Audio:

Informant’s Comments:

The informant, when spoken to in person and unrecorded, mentioned that he very much enjoyed these dinners as it is a way to break up a very chaotic week.

Collector’s Comments:

I thought this weekly ritual was very neat and interesting and I wish I had something similar among my friend groups. Although the fire department may have to jump into action while eating at these dinners, I thought it was a great way to build team cohesion without getting too carried away.

Collector’s Name: Albie Austin

Tags:

• Ritual, Dinner, Garden City

Title: Battery Change (Hanover FD)

General Information: 

1. Place of collection: Hanover Fire Department – Hanover, NH
2. Date of Collection: November 6, 2019
3. Informant: Joe Amato
4. Genre: Customary Folklore – Superstition

Informant Information:

Joe Amato is a firefighter for the Hanover, New Hampshire fire department. He is currently 27 years old and lives in Hanover. However, Joe was born and raised in Amherst, Massachusetts. He currently holds the title of firefighter at the Hanover Fire Department. Also, at age 27, Joe is the youngest firefighter currently a part of the Hanover Fire Department.

Context:

Every morning right as their shift is starting, the firefighters come in, look at the log of recent calls, and change their batteries in their radios. They change the batteries whether or not they are dead or are fully charged. According to them, changing the batteries each day brings them good luck and decreases the likelihood of them receiving a lot of calls that day. They learned this superstition from some of the older firefighters in the Hanover FD when they were first beginning. 

Item:

Every day at 7:00am, the firefighters come in and change all of the radio batteries (regardless of whether or not the batteries are low) for good luck during their shift.

Associated Image:

Meaning and Interpretation:

This action provides the firefighters with a sense of assurance that everything will go as planned that day and that nothing terrible is going to happen during their shift. In a profession as unpredictable as firefighting, it is important to control everything that you can – even if it is simply changing the batteries in a radio. This is an example of a magic superstition because there is cause and effect – changing the batteries brings them good luck and a lower likelihood of having a bad day. Also, it appears that there may be some semblance of the law of similarity at play. Through the process of preparing their radios for the day, they are preparing themselves (mentally and with equipment) for the day.