Mayor Riley, of course, has a long history of blind allegiance to Fire Chief Rusty Thomas, and it’s likely that the verbose mayor will simply say the city and Chief Thomas are doing the right thing, drilling down to address the training and safety needs of the department…blah, blah, blah. You’ve heard it all before.

In truth, the department’s major shortcomings in just about every important function (command, equipment, training, safety procedures) are a direct reflection on Thomas’s failed leadership and ignorance of current standards and his unflinching belief that he knows best.

Oh, and isn’t Riley running for re-election?

The mayor will take care of his own. Else they might go down together. I wonder at what point he will consider Rusty a liability.

If the chief can’t run a safe fire scene how will he respond to natural disasters? His command and control unexceptable and if he does not step down others will be lost. Preplanning, ICS NIMS training, and tatics strategies would have saved these good men. I cannot believe he can function knowing that he is the boss and bears full responsibility that he cannot delegate. I also cannot believe that the men and women would continue to follow this guy. My department would not. We would make that loud and clear.

Be safe, remain professional regardless of department size paid or volunteer

When a firefighter dies while trying to save another life, while tragic and unfortunate, is one thing. It calls for a thorough evaluation of tactics and department S.O.G.’s.
When 9 firefighters die for the preservation of a few pieces of furniture,there is no excuse. If Chief Thomas cannot determine when it is permissible to risk a firefighter’s life, he has no business being Chief.

If Mayor Riley cannot see this, I hope the voters can.

It is truly a sad day when people will not admit that they made poor decisions, and did not follow commonly excepted stratgies and tactics, that resulted in this tragedy. 

It is even a sadder day when a fire chief says publically that he would do it the same way all over again., and kill 9 firefighters. For what? A cheap, write-off building.

It is inexcusable when an elected city official continues to back an incompetent fire chief, and very unfortunate that he will not begin to fix the problems, which begin with the chief, and appears to filter down through antiquated firefighting practices. Unfornately for Charleston, they lack top leadership in their fire department, as well as their city government. Being a leader is not easy. It takes courage. It is not for the weak of heart, or for the person that is happy with status quo. TRUE Leaders make a positive difference, and make changes that are not always easy, nor popular. Changes need to be made here for the good of the city, and department. Without changes, and a new leader, there can be only limited learing from this incident becuase the mistakes of the past will continue to haunt each department member, as well as the confidence of the citizens that the department serves.

We must learn from this incident, and try not to repeat the mistakes made here.

The actions by Chiefs Thomas and Gavin at the Super Sofa Store fire were so aggregious and deviated so far from accepted modern fire fighting practices that they should be considered criminal conduct. Both should be charged with 9 counts of negligent homicide.

As for Mayor Riley, until just a few weeks ago, I supported him. His comments these past few weeks have been insensitive and out of touch with the community. They are also disrepectful of the nine fire fighters who lost their lives doing thier job. I will be voting for Mr. Gregorie in November.

I’ve already endured 24 years of this crapola, and I’m just glad it’s becoming less and less. I remember well the fire chiefs that were easily whipped by the worthless mayor, and the resulting deaths of a firefighter in the line of duty...3 different times I saw it happen. Best thing that can be doene is to have a HUGE newspaper advertisements, demonstrating how Class 1 departments “do things,” and how Charleston’s “We had slavery here once, & we liked it!” municipal attitude is going to lead to more tragedies...and perhaps the citizenry will “wake-up!”

Hey Franko,
I’m a fireifghter from San Diego! I’m also the Heath and Safety Director for the Firefighters Local 145! Once again the politician cover up for themselves! 9 men put thier lives on the line and now all that they can do is protect thier egos! Who protects thier families now that Dads gone? Firefighters around the country know what you have there is a leadership problem! And it starts at City Hall and at the Fire Chiefs Desk! The public better open up thier eyes or thier going the kill more firefighters! You know, the blue collar guys who just do as thier told and come when you call! Those 9 men don’t make policy, they don’t make the budget! Wake up!! The Mayor is now going to blowing smoke up your A--!

Don’t forget that Brad Francko is very tight with Rusty Thomas-he is not going to say anything negative.

Our chief is a national embarassment and and a disgrace to all who wear our unifrom.

The fire chief says no one is going to tell us how to do our job....Well obviously someone should. His command or lack of command on that scene directly led to the death of those 9.  Now a mayor is supporting him...great....well someone needs to step up and show the leadership that these individuals deserve.

Dave,

My relationship with Chief Thomas has nothing to do with my reporting on the issue.

I report the facts as they are given, and in doing so I attribute the source, allowing the viewer to draw his own conclusion.

It is not my job to say what the chief did right or wrong.  I don’t know because I wasn’t there, nor do I have the credentials to look at pictures or video and surmise what mistakes were made.  That is the duty of professional fire investigators.

Spin spin spin..... That was a pretty big load of bs. I remember another spinning load of bs…

“Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the
lowest crime rates in the country,”
--Mayor Marion Barry, Washington, DC

I beg the voters of Charleston to do the right thing on behalf of the men who gave their lives for your couch. Kirby is quite right… new leadership, starting at the top with the mayor, is in order.

Voters be heard!!!!

I sat in awe listening to Mayor Joe Riley again support, in his belief, that the Fire Department and the Management have solved all the troubles of the “misfortune?” resulting from the fire at the Sofa Super Store. Having been involved in the fire service here and elsewhere for over 40 years, I am still amazed that the Fire Department Budget is the first sought after to cut by all entities of government. Charleston has been closed to the world and doing it in their traditional way, allowing the world of improvements pass them by. The price was devasting for allowing it to happen and to try and get by on a shoe string budget. They are not alone, they just got caught. Many of the Fire Departments in the Tri-county area as well as the State have suffered in cuts, red tape and blind tradition to dictate how a Department is run. The lessons from the 9-11 report, daily fire fighter fatalities reports, National standards; all being pushed by Department of Homeland Security, International Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Fire Fighters, and the Volunteer Fire Council have been ignored all in the name of keeping the budget low. “We don’t need to update our fire fighting protective gear, uniforms, buy thermal imagers, improve water supply with larger hose and more efficent fire nozzles. We sure can’t increase our manning level to meet recommended standards, that would make us broke.” When will it end, when more are taken from us?

Apparently, not all fire chiefs across the nation share the mayor’s opinion about the fire and its aftermath:

http://firechief.com/health-safety/ar/firefighting_target_anger/

Brad, with all due respect, it is your job to investigate and report issues that affect the community – in this case it is a matter of public safety. If a surgeon operated on nine patients and they died due to bad decision making, poor technique and outdated training, the physician would immediately loose his/her privileges pending full review by the local or state medical board. We have two chief officers whose actions at the Super Sofa Store fire directly caused the death of nine fire fighters. Their public comments as well as those from Mayor Riley have little if any basis in reality. The community and CFD fire fighters are still at risk.

Hundreds of fire fighters from across the country and several fire chiefs have contributed to a number of reputable blogs identifying the essential problems for both the SSS fire as well as overall CFD standards and operating procedures. I feel your comment and inaction is influenced by your personal relationship with Rusty Thomas. WCBD certainly has access to many external fire experts who can guide your reporting on this important story. Your complacency is disheartening. Ask the tough questions, for example, why did Chief Thomas order the right front windows taken out of the SSS fire infusing a rush of air into the store essentially pulling the fire over a dozen fire fighters heads.

I’m sorry, but I am going to have to disagree with most of the comments here regarding the chief and his lack of duty. Do you seriously think that when the firefighters walked into that blaze that they were thinking 100% business and policy? No, I doubt it! They were most likely thinking humanly on how to save whoever they can.

Do you think that if a fire ravaged so fast, like it did at the Sofa Superstore, at your house and you had 9 family members in the house you would be thinking clearly? No, you would be doing whatever it takes to save those people......regardless of whatever you were taught. Especially if the roof started caving in; you’re going to try and get out.

Also. Imagine you at your work and your subordinates under you do something not according to policy “without” you knowing it (come on, it happens every day), should you be held accountable for them? Should you be fired or let go for what they did? Not being insensitive here, what happened was a tragedy that could not have be prevented; those firefighters ran in and the roof collapsed. That’s what killed them; no way out. Think about it folks before you cast judgement; put yourself in their shoes. I don’t think you can. Can you be fire chief for a week? I doubt it. Every one thinks they can judge someone else, but when the tables are turned and the focus is on themselves, they realize they are just human and susceptible to fault.

Lastly, you should be ashamed of your insensitivity towards the fire chief, a human man, who lost nine of his fellow firefighters and most importantly brothers. Do you think that all that was a show to cover up a mistake? How insensitive are you?

That’s nice L471!  You think all those guys did was die for your couch?

I have tried very hard to stay out of this discussion but I can tell that some of you people have never worked in this field.  If you did you would know that the fire service culture is hard to change

As a member of a well established professional fire department up north I can tell you that Charleston is not unique to the shortcomings mentioned in many of the reports.  I know that it is the nature of the fire service to say “That won’t happen to us here” or “We don’t need that…” Pick up any NIOSH report and it will tell you the same problems over and over again.  It is not that the fire service is stupid, it is that we are a proud bunch that can feel invincible especially when you have tested these tactics countless times and they worked every time, unfortunately when they fail the cost can be catastrophic. 

I don’t believe that it is beneficial to anyone to crucify the fire chief for his past practices if he is willing to change the way things operate now.  If you want to hang someone walk into any department in America and you will find practices that will make you sick.  One man ladder trucks, outdated equipment, and empty fire stations.  In the end it comes down to money and when this unfortunate tragedy becomes a distant memory to most citizens they don’t care as long as someone comes when they call.  (See next Posting)

Why are we beating up Brad Franko?  He’s not the chief and he’s not the mayor.  He’s given everyone to express their opinions openly and freely on this website. I don’t think he has done anything wrong.

As far as the mayor and the chief are concerned....I have never known any other mayor or chief for the city of Charleston and according to my children I am older than God.  They have been around a long time and up until the fire, they hadn’t lost a fireman in the line of duty.  Why is it now, after this tragedy everyone wants to take them out back and hang ‘em? Prior to the fire, they were great people that served our community well.  There isn’t one person or one error that caused all of this heartache.  I feel like it was caused by a number of errors and mistakes.

Lastly- Leave Brad Franko alone.... if you don’t like his reporting then why are you reading his blog?????

You want to crucify someone, why are firefighters still dying from heart attacks and when fitness standards are made to be mandatory the UNION is the first to file a grievance because it is not fair.  Why are firefighters still dying in apparatus accidents and when the chief suspends someone for reckless operation the UNION is the first to defend the member for their DANGEROUS behavior?

Bottom line is I wasn’t there and it sounds like neither were most of you and to sit here as say after the smoke has cleared that they shouldn’t have been there is wrong.  I would like to be there when you tell a firefighter not to enter a building to put a fire out with SOMEONE INSIDE, on a fire that LOOKS like it can be put out, and see how long your crew respects you.  We are firefighters we FIGHT FIRE, it is what we do!!!

Those men didn’t die for the Couch your fat A__ is sitting on!!!!

Brad,
Those of us in Charleston who follow Channel 2 know about your family and your tie to the firefighting community.  So we know this situation puts you in a mixed position.  I say that to say, there are fire fighters who would like to speak out but can’t.  There was a reason that two men were allowed to speak last week but couldn’t speak it all.  Why didn’t the cameras there reveal who was present at the interview with them?  Viewers need to know that!  This is coercion of the worst kind.  To be honest we need our media to step up on this one.  Mayor Riley was allowed to give a free informercial during an election year.  What happened to the media being the watchdog of the citizens?  and if nothing else motivates our journalist in this area, this story is ripe for all type of investigative wards and accolades for someone who is bold enough to search for the truth.  Brad we have watched you interview the Charleston EMT crew that went to assist with 9-11.  Don’t let this get away from you…

LadderCO.....

As I am actually in the business, and have been for some time, I do understand how the fire service works, and it’s resistance to change. There are many members with 20 plus years on my department, and things do indeed change slowly. It’s funny you brought it up, but I myself have opperated a one man truck on many occasions.
From everything i’ve read, that SOMEONE INSIDE you refer to were firemen. At that point I would have been in there too.
The point is that with that type of construction and the circumstances at hand, I question the need to be in there at all.
Yes I said it.... 9 firemen died for furniture.

Preservation of life comes first… both civilians and firemen. I’m pretty sure the contents of that building are lower on the list.

I also find it strange that you wrapped up union issues into the deaths of our brothers. What do a couple of bitchy firemen working for you have to do with this situation? And how do you assume that their views are reflective of all union members?

Your right.... I was not there, and i’m sure I do not have all the facts… But when 9 men die on a severely botched incident… someone screwed up bad.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the fallen. Peace

I know nine firefighters are dead and a Chief that makes comments like Thomas has, should not be given the option to step down, but should be fired and brought up on charges.  Then we will see how hard it will be for him to hire nine more firefighters

Ah the good old boy network alive and well in municipal government. To some it may spell comfort in the fact that the more things change the more they stay the same. How sad. When will Crisis Management, the seemingly preferred method of running a city or municipal government, (whereby it’s leadership waits for a crisis to develop then responds to it in a reactionary manner) be replaced by forward thinking that isn’t paid for in human lives and property lost? How easy and smug for the Mayor to set on his throne at City Hall supporting and defending a man who by all other accounts is at least negligent in the deaths of these men and more appropriately should be held criminally responsible along with the mayor himself. How many more of our nations firefighters have to die before municipal leaders wake up, accept their responsibility for providing adequate manning, equipment, training, preparedness and a work environment that acknowledges them for their contributions rather than looking down and begrudging them for the services they provide to the citizens they protect, because they, the municipal leadership, haven’t learned to place life safety at the top of the priority list. Both of these individuals should be held criminally liable for their actions leading up to during and after the fire.

It’s very obvious that not only the fire chief needs to be replaced, but the mayor also. If this mayor cannot see that this chief is stuck in the 1970’s he absolutely blind. Maybe the mayor is part of the good ole boy system like the chief is. If things continue the way that they are, there will be more lives lost and when this happens there should be criminal charges against the fire chief and the mayor (Ever heard of vicarious liability). Some of the suggestion recommended in Charleston are very good, however, nothing will change because all the fire chief will do is but his good ole boys in those very important positions. The problem with that is that they think the same way the he does.
WAKE UP MAYOR RILEY!!!!

I certainly do not know all the details, however I do know from the facts that have been released that this chief has repeatedly refused to meet national standards. Standards are just that, but they are designed to protect us. I too question why anyone was in that building given the amount of smoke and fire on arrival, the fire load and the construction.

We all like to be the macho type and get in and get the job done. And coming from a jurisdiction that is TOO passive many times I know how frustrating it can be to hold back. That said, I realize it is the chief’s job to not only put the fire out and affect rescues, but to send me home to my family.

As for the comments regarding the union, don’t assume all Locals or the International feels the same. Ours not only supported but got implemented in our new contract a MANDATORY fitness program.