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On Friday, August 17th,
Charleston Fire Chief Rusty
Thomas was presented with the
Fire Review Panel's list of
initial recommendations
resulting from their inquiry
into the department's operations
and response to the Sofa Super
Store fire on June 18th.
The Panel, made up of fire
service experts from across the
country, was appointed by
Charleston Mayor Joe Riley.
While this list of
recommendations was derived from
an investigation into the
Charleston, SC, fire department,
it is incumbent upon fire
service leaders from across the
nation to review this list from
an introspective point of view.
How does your department measure
up? Are there items on
this list that your department
doesn't meet?
Other areas that must be
considered are in the arena of
public policy and codes
enforcement. How would a
more effective inspection
program influenced this event?
What about a proactive sprinkler
requirement? The
outrageous tap fees that were
being charged by the City, which
served as a huge barrier to
suppression systems, has already
been removed by the Mayor.
Why did it take the deaths of
nine firefighters for someone to
say "we have a problem here"?
Don't wait for a tragedy such as
this to be a catalyst for
improvement... |
