Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

SHOULDER FLASH, “LETHBRIDGE FIRE EMS”

Date Range From

2012

Materials

NYLON, COTTON

No. Pieces

1

Height

11.5

Length

11

Description

ROUNDED SHIELD-SHAPED PATCH OF WOVEN, BLACK NYLON. GOLD COTTON THREAD SEWN AROUND OUTER EDGE WITH EMBROIDERED CENTRAL CREST, CANADA FLAG, AND TEXT READING “LETHBRIDGE FIRE EMS – FIRE DEPT.” IN GOLD, RED, WHITE, BLUE, AND BLACK. NO BACKING. OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

SAFETY SERVICES

HEALTH SERVICES

History

THIS PATCH WAS SEWN TO THE SHOULDERS OF UNIFORMS ISSUED BY THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT. ACCORDING TO INFORMATION PROVIDED BY DEPUTY FIRE/EMS CHIEF DANA TERRY IN AN EMAIL FROM OCTOBER 7, 2015, THIS DESIGN REPLACED THE PREVIOUS DESIGN (P20140019003-GA) IN 2012, COMMEMORATING THE CENTENNIAL OF THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT. TERRY WROTE: “[THE NEW DESIGN] WAS AN INITIATIVE I TOOK ON, WITH THE CHIEF [BRIAN CORNFORTH]’S APPROVAL, DURING THE [CENTENNIAL] CELEBRATION PROCESS. WE WANTED A DIFFERENT BRANDING THAT MODERNIZED OUR LOOK AND MAINTAINED SOME HISTORY. EMS OPERATIONS OFFICER LYNN VILLIGER, THE CHIEF AND I NARROWED DOWN SEVERAL DESIGNS AND THEN GAVE IT TO OUR STAFF TO CHOOSE THEIR FAVOURITES. THE SURVEY CAME BACK UNANIMOUSLY IN FAVOUR OF THE DESIGN THAT WE NOW WEAR. THE INSIDE OF THE CREST IS THE SAME LOGO THAT WAS IN OUR PREVIOUS CREST WHICH INCORPORATES THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE LOGO AS WELL.” AT THE TIME OF DONATION, THIS PATCH DESIGN WAS STILL IN USE BY LETHBRIDGE FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES. ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2015 COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED TREVOR LAZENBY, LIEUTENANT WITH LETHBRIDGE FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES, WHO TRAINED AS A PARAMEDIC AND STARTED HIS CAREER IN LETHBRIDGE WORKING AS A DISPATCHER IN 1994. OF THE PROMINENCE OF THE TEXT READING “LETHBRIDGE” ON THIS PATCH DESIGN, LAZENBY SAID: “IN 2002 WHEN I WENT TO NEW YORK CITY FOR THE 9/11 MEMORIAL, WE WORE OUR DRESS UNIFORMS WITH THE FLASHERS ON THE SIDE [THE PREVIOUS DESIGN, P20140019003-GA]… YOU IDENTIFY A MEMBER OF A PARTICULAR SERVICE BY LOOKING AT HIS SHOULDER FLASHER, AND IT ALWAYS SAYS WHAT CITY THEY ARE FROM. AND WITH [THOSE ONES], YOU HAVE TO GET REALLY UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL TO SEE… PEOPLE WOULD COME IN AND THEY’D GO, ‘WHERE ARE YOU GUYS FROM? WHAT DOES THAT SAY?’ AND THEN THEY COULDN’T READ THE WRITING HALF THE TIME. SO I THINK THE CONSCIOUS DECISION WAS MADE TO SAY, “[LETHBRIDGE] IS WHO WE ARE, THIS IS WHERE WE [ARE FROM], AND THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BIGGEST WRITING ON THE PIECE.”… WHEN YOU ROLL UP, PEOPLE KNOW THAT YOU’RE FIRE AND EMS [AND] WE HAD TO FOCUS ON SAYING ‘THIS IS WHERE WE’RE FROM’ SO YOU COULD BE IDENTIFIED.” SEE PERMANENT FILE P20150010001-GA FOR FULL TRANSCRIPTS OF REFERENCED INTERVIEWS ALONG WITH OTHERS WITH FIRE/EMS MEMBERS AND ADDITIONAL RELATED RESEARCH.

Catalogue Number

P20140019004

Acquisition Date

2014-06

Collection

Museum

Less detail