Lingering Questions
Next month, the American fire service will remember the nine Charleston, S.C., firefighters who died in the Sofa Super Store fire on June 18, 2007. The local media will carry reports and tributes. The fire service media, however, will be asking questions.
In the immediate aftermath of the fire, publicized photos and radio transmissions revealed how out of touch with modern firefighting strategy and techniques the Charleston Fire Department was. For example, dispatchers called each fire station for a report of which firefighters reported for duty and which were missing.
Shortly after the fire, Charleston Mayor Joe Riley hired a group of esteemed fire service professionals to investigate and review the fire department and make recommendations. These task force members — who I know and have endorsed for their knowledge and expertise — devoted countless hours to the investigation. They had free access to personnel and the department and made numerous trips to Charleston.
The task force released the Phase 1 report later than first expected, allowing Riley to first review the findings. While the Phase 1 report required serious and immediate changes, the task force also suggested two additional levels of recommendations.
I’ve had many conversations with task force members, and their comments always were restrained but firm — “wait until the fire investigation report comes out” — and implied the report would be straightforward and unpleasant. The report was first due in late fall. Then December. Then February. Now we understand it will be Thursday, May 15.
Nine firefighters died in that fire. The people responsible for their deaths are still working their jobs, still going home to their own families after work and tucking their kids in bed each night. The department has new station uniforms, new 5-inch hose, new training procedures and new SOPs. But too many questions still remain.
Why has the task force tolerated this delay of its hard work? Knowing the caliber of these individuals, I‘m surprised no one has resigned over the repeated delays and excuses for not releasing this report.
According to recent news reports, Charleston‘s beloved Mayor Joe Riley will finally release the report May 15th, eleven months after the nine firefighters died. Thursday night, the Mayor decided to release a draft of the National Institute of Occupational Health & Safety. Was this to try and soften the blow of the Task Force report to be released on May 15th? The Task Force will deliver the final report to the mayor this week and then to the families of the fallen firefighters before it is released to the media.
Nothing will bring the nine fallen firefighters home to their families, but what really is being done to prevent more firefighter deaths in this “Class 1″ department? Something is still smoldering in Charleston.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
So much for the Class 1 ISO rating. What year did they get the coveted Class 1 rating? Like many Fire Departments with a Class 1 rating, Charleston sat back and did nothing to keep up with necessary training, skills and modern firefighting practices that are required to stay alive in order to “go home after duty every shift.”
May 11th, 2008 at 12:21 am
I am very pleased to finally see someone in the profession - with standing, unlike some of us back-benchers - really step forward on this issue. You told the Charleston paper that these nine men should not have died and here you say those responsible still go home to their families at night. The Mayor is still defending the Chief. The procedures and hoselines used were from the 50’s at best. Gross professional negligence by the Chief, supported by the Mayor killed those men. There must be a national public outcry.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Last June 18th was a tradegy for the fire service. A lot of questions have arouse because of that fire especially for those who live in South Carolina. Firefighters in South Carolina have always been told that Charleston FD was the place to be and that their history speaks for it self.
Since that fire, that department has been in the spot light and being criticized by every one. This is one history lesson that evey one can learn from and build on so that a tradegy like this will not happen again.
May 14th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Wow, a year already has passed!! Has much been accomplished in Charleston or is it being held up in the name of progress? Today, it is public information that the Fire Chief has decided to retire at the end of June in this year. If the management team of Charleston does the right thing, they could get some one from outside the department who could take the bull by the horns and get started on some changes. But, do these changes come easy? No they will have to come at some cost both financially and emotionally to not only the department but also the City of Charleston. It is time for a change and as always when something tragic happens we tend to get somewhat heavy handed and say clean house. The City Manager has not been heard from much in this situation with the department and the tragedy, only the Mayor. Now is the time for all concerned to open their doors and take care of business while it can be done effectively.
Change has to occur at all levels.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Ms. Wilmoth, The question should be: What is really being done to prevent firefighter fatalities in the U.S. Fire Service since Charleston experienced a tragedy which many other departments have also seen the past. Therefore, past lessons were not learned and history simply repeated itself. So, in reality, something is smoking in America. I look forward to reading the recommendations from the task force as well as from NIOSH as it pertains to the action that occurred on the fireground. And I hope they realize that the loss of life was the result of yet another disorientation sequence, which in this case, was caused by Prolonged Zero Visibility Conditions, one of multiple life threatening hazards highly prone to occur in Enclosed Structure Fires. We now know that these particular types of structure fires resulted in mulitple firefighter fatalities 84% of the time according to a 2007 analysis of 444 structural Firefighter fatalities over the past 16 years. And it occurred as Firefighters used a traditional, fast and aggressive interior attack from the unburned side. These tragedies are not new to the close observer, Charleston just happened to be one of the latest involved in a fatal Enclosed Structure incident. An effort has been made to get the word out but it is a very slow process. Please read “No More Maydays” August 2003, Fire Chief.com. under Strategy and Tactics. The Fire Service is at a cross roads and currently in a true Fire Service Safety Emergency. We either make the tactical modifications needed to avoid disorientation now or Firefighters in the future will continue to lose their lives incorrectly making aggressive interior attacks into extremely dangerous Enclosed Structure Fires. Study results and overwhelming documented evidence shows that the major problem involves the fact that an Offensive Strategy does not always work at these specific types of fires. William R. Mora, Ret. Captain, San Antonio Fire Department.
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