Densho Digital Archive - Fred Nagai Interview (denshovh-nfred-01-0011)

<Begin Segment 11>

RP: So what was your first job in camp?

FN: I don't remember but I did some ditch digging to get the water into the camp and had, cleared the sagebrush for the farm and...

RP: And was that done by hand?

FN: Oh, yeah. We didn't any equipment.

RP: Did you run into any snakes out there?

FN: No, I hate snakes. If I knew... yeah, I think there were a lot of rattle snakes out there but I never did... well, I might have couple, three times see people but we killed them all.

RP: So you worked, you worked for the fire department.

FN: Yeah, I worked at the fire department. I worked for the mess delivery and I, tofu factory.

RP: Let's talk about the fire department job. How were the shifts set up for the fire department?

FN: Oh, you worked twelve hours and, I mean, twenty-four hours and you're off twenty-four hours. So you work every other day. But it was no work. You slept there and we used to have fire drills once a week or twice a week and polish the fire truck and the rest of the time you just laid around.

RP: Play cards?

FN: Yeah. Play cards.

RP: Did you wear a uniform as a fireman?

FN: No. You just, everyday clothes.

RP: And did they, how many fire trucks did you have?

FN: Two.

RP: Two. Did you ever fight a fire in the camp?

FN: As I say, I was the engineer of one of the trucks and I drove the truck and worked the equipment but we got two or three people that does it. So, one day there was outdoor movies on the firebreak. I was there and Kitchen 13 mess hall, somebody must have been making sake out of the leftover rice, and the kitchen fire, so the fire truck went and I, it was right there. I think it was in the movie in Block 14 firebreak so Mess Hall 13, I hear and ran like hell. They had it under control so that's the first fire that there ever was and I wasn't there.

RP: You missed out on your big--

FN: Yeah, but...

RP: -- opportunity.

FN: They all covered up for you.

[Interruption]

RP: This is tape two of a continuing interview with Fred Nagai. And, Fred, we were just talking about the fire that you, that you missed in Block 13. Were you actually supposed to be on duty during the time?

FN: Well we get break. It was my break but I mean, I wanted to be there when the fire... but, as I say, that's the only time that there was a time for the fire truck to go out of the fire station and I wasn't on there so it kind of broke my heart not to be on there. But they didn't miss me. I mean, they got a lot of people that's taking care of that. But they all laughing because I wasn't there. They know I was waiting to be getting on that truck to go.

RP: See some action.

FN: Yeah.

RP: Did you drive the fire trucks around the camp?

FN: Oh yeah. Uh-huh.

RP: And did you give people rides?

FN: Not on the fire truck. I mean, we had, I was working on that tofu factory I had a van with another friend and we used to pick up girls and take 'em to work and take 'em back. And, well, that's the only time. The other time was a food truck go out, as I say, we were strictly on business going from one mess hall to the other.

RP: Were you also responsible for going into each block and making sure that there were no fire hazards in the block?

FN: No. They had a special one or two guys going around doing that. It wasn't the fireman's responsibility to, excuse me, do that.

RP: Uh-huh.

FN: Firemen just stayed at the fire station.

RP: Can you describe the fire station to us? What kind of building was it? And what was in the building besides the engines?

FN: Well, we had the bunks there. I don't really remember.

RP: So you had bunks there and that's where you slept between your shift?

FN: Yeah, uh-huh.

RP: Okay. Was there an office too?

FN: Yeah, there was an office but I wasn't in the office. They had a girl in the office that took care, care of everything. We actually didn't have anything much to do but sit around, waiting. That was the easiest job.

RP: Do you remember who the fire chief was?

FN: Oh, I think it was Kay something, I don't know. He was, lived in my block so he got me into the fire station so I mean, he had to, different pools for easy jobs and I knew quite a few friends so that's why I got the job as timekeeper in the camouflage and mess, mess delivery and tofu thing....