Thank you for your kind words.  I was just doing what hope others would have done if it was my father, brothers, or uncle who went into that building.  It’s about honoring those men, Charleston’s heroes.

Brad-Having worked worked with you on sports and news stories and knowing you come from a firefighting family, thank you for proving that news professionals can conduct themselves with dinity and compassion during times of grief. Your ability to guide the Charleston community through the memorial for the Charleston 9 along with Carolyn and Warren shows the warm heart for humanity that you possess!

Brad- I whole heartedly agree.  You, Warren and Carolyn did an outstanding job on the memorial.  You were very professional and yet showed enough emotion to show the viewing audience that you weren’t just out for the big story. You were there to help the community begin healing. I cried and I laughed at the stories you all told as well as Chief Rusty’s.

Thanks again for a job well done.

Brad, I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for your outstanding and compassionate coverage of the memorial for our fallen heros today. You made all of Charleston and the surrounding communities proud.

Tribute to Fallen Firefighters and Their Families

Tragedy has enveloped our community.  During this time it is difficult to know what to do or what to say in comfort to those who are hurting.  The horrific fire that destroyed the Sofa Super Store on Monday has left many shocked and confused.

We celebrate the lives of the nine heroic men who died in their effort to save others.  I thank them for their service to our community.  They became firefighters knowing that they would have to place their own lives at risk.  I also thank the family members of these nine men.  Your sacrifice is appreciated.

With loss come many questions.  We ask how this tragedy happened.  We wonder whether it could have been prevented.  However, the most important question that humanity asks is why? 

Unfortunately so many of the “whys” of life cannot be answered.  Despite this, we know that the memories of the nine courageous men will live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved them.  Genuine love never dies.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die…, a time to weep and a time to laugh…, a time to mourn and a time to dance…(Ecclesiastes 3:1-4).”

This is our time to weep.  This is our time to mourn.  With the passage of time the wounds will begin to heal.  Someday it will once again be our time to laugh and our time to dance.

God bless all who have been touched by this devastation.

By DeAnndra Glenn

This is not the time to be making such calas remarks!  Your lack of compassion should be addressed after we lay OUR brothers to rest.

Please let me start by sending my condolences to the families of the nine firefighters who lost there lives at the Sofa Superstore on Savannah Highway. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you. I am a fire sprinkler company owner in Charleston, SC and after listening to the ignorant comments made by Rusty Thomas about the fact that fire sprinklers “probably wouldn’t have helped” all I can do is hope that Charleston citizens are not as moronic as Chief Thomas. I dare any one to ever show even one scenario of fire fighters dieing in a properly sprinklered furniture store. All day I’ve heard people say “there’s no way a sprinkler system could have helped” , “couches are so combustible”. Any intelligent person would know that sprinkler companies account for the combustible materials when designing a sprinkler systems. The last fire I was was called to was a fire at a furniture company on Rivers Ave. - one, yes one sprinkler head put it out! Oh and by the way the last time Chief Rusty Thomas and I talked about sprinkler systems he said and I quote “there nice but they can only do so much”. LIKE SAVE LIVES! If you don’t like my comments call the Nation Fire Protection Association and tell them what Chief Thomas has been saying on the news. Once you find out that I’m right I hope you have the guts to speak out.

I think we are all sort of numb, like this is not real.  We think we live in a city till something horrible like this happens.  We then realize that this is really a just a small town where we all know one another.  I can’t comprehend what the families are going thru, I can only pray that they will have the strength and courage to begin to live again.