BY BOBBY HALTON
The report on the Charleston (SC) Super Sofa Store was released while I was in Charleston interviewing several Charleston firefighters about the recovery process and the loss of Captain Billy Hutchinson, Captain Mike Benke, Captain Louis Mulkey, Engineer Mark Kelsey, Engineer Bradford “Brad” Baity, Assistant Engineer Michael French, Firefighter James “Earl” Drayton, Firefighter Brandon Thompson, and Firefighter Melvin Champaign.
Interviewing the Charleston firefighters who fought the sofa store fire, I learned several things. I learned the most from the sole survivor of an entire station. He gently explained to me they were not the “Charleston Nine.” They were not nine firefighters from the Charleston Fire Department. They were Billy, Mike, Louis, Mark, Brad, Michael, Earl, Brandon, and Melvin. This was very important to all of the men I spoke with; they all asked me to never forget that these were real men, their friends, and good firefighters.
When we call someone “the anything,” we take away their humanity, their significance. But after listening to these good men speak of losing their friends, I cannot allow myself to pretend I don’t know something about them. The depth of this horrible tragedy is dramatically heightened by our recognition of the enormity of the impact of the loss of such good men. This reverent awareness makes the phase one management report by the review panel universally significant.
The phase one management report is well done and, although there are aspects and conclusions that I feel need refinement and further study, the tenets and principles are well defined. I applaud this well-done effort and these dedicated men. This report was requested by the mayor of Charleston, who asked six fire service experts to review the department. These men were allowed full access and were allowed to ask whatever questions they felt needed answering. The committee members based this report on what, in their experience, would constitute “best practice” for managing a fire department.
The report reflects harshly on some of our historically accepted measurementsin particular, the ISO rating system. It calls us to question the validity of such ratings, as they do not reflect on the organization’s ability to respond operationally.
A friend of mine refers to the “universal nature” of the fire service. By this, he means that we all expect the same high quality of fire and EMS service regardless of where we are. Regardless of the community’s size or population, we expect the same equally high level of capability. He describes our relationship with our citizens as a social contract. The citizens are not well served by numbers and decals, which have little or no bearing on the capabilities of the organization in critical operations.
These social contracts cut both ways. It is our responsibility to internalize this report to be better everywhere. If your organization is substandard in staffing, training, or equipment, you deserve better and your citizens deserve better. The panel has affirmed by its staffing recommendations that substandard staffing results in inadequate numbers of firefighters assembling in time to accomplish the tasks necessary to conduct tactical operations. This staffing failure prevents officers from developing good strategic options and routines. This cannot be masked by decals and meaningless symbols.
I wonder if the mayor of Charleston understands the significance of this document. I remember the old saying, “Be careful what you wish for; you just may get it.” Well, he got it, and we should get it, too. This report is not only for the Charleston Fire Department; it applies universally. This report will be used as a tool for the assessment of an organization’s staffing, training, and leadership when a tragedy strikes and a firefighter falls. I hope every mayor, city manager, fire chief, and union officer gets one and reads it carefully.
This report calls for sweeping reforms to almost every aspect of the Charleston Fire Department, from leadership, training, equipment, staffing, departmental promotions, clothing, accountability, and tactics to how the chief should delegate. It requires that a complete overhaul of the department be begun and completed in short order.
On the universal side, it can and will be applied to any fire service organization in America. The report became a management template as soon as it was released. I suspect lawyers will be asking mayors and fire chiefs to answer the following: If you are not currently NFPA 1500- and 1710-compliant after reading the Charleston report, why didn’t you hire more firefighters? Why weren’t your firefighters involved in in-depth training? Why have you failed to make intelligent and up-to-date equipment purchases? Why is your equipment not operable or interoperable? What new firefighting techniques have been introduced to your firefighters since the release of this document?
The aware fire chief should heed the report and institute better preparation and coordination internally and between the other assisting agencies. This is a true call to action, a moral imperative. The conscientious mayor should be embracing the talents, capabilities, and endless resourcefulness of their fire departments. They should be reviewing this report and holding their departments and themselves to the standards it outlines.
This report isn’t just for Charleston, for there but for the grace of God …. When will enough really be enough? When will we stop saying we care and do something about it? Adequate standard-compliant staffing and focused relevant training predicated on the concept of continuous improvement are not just fancy talkthey are a matter of life and death.
