Awaiting Facts: The Charleston Sofa Store Fire

Naturally, like most of you reading this, we also called and e-mailed each other about the recent horrific line-of-duty-deaths in Charleston, S.C. And now, over a week later, we wanted to share our opinion related to the horrific loss of nine of yours, mine and our Brothers in Charleston last week. Billy sent this commentary to the subscribers of his newsletter (The Secret List) and then, after we both discussed it, we felt that it represented how we both felt and wanted to share those thoughts with the readers of Firehouse.com.

Like you, Harry and I have received loads of photos, e-mails and related information on the fire that killed nine brave CFD firefighters last week. Many of the comments were pretty negative opinions about how some people feel about how the fire was handled. Some firefighters who were there, and who were not there, feel very strongly, to the point of anger...but...

The first priority is and was to give those firefighters and especially their families, a respectful and peaceful memorial service and individual funerals. That's in the process of happening and has happened as best as possible. Those who were there generally agree it was highly respectful and honorable, honoring the memories of the lost nine, and respectfully honoring their families and friends.

The next step in this fire that has literally shaken the entire fire service, is for the fire investigation and firefighter fatality experts to determine what happened. Numerous agencies will be involved in the in-depth and thorough investigation to determine the facts, and then the next step is for all members of the fire service to learn and share that information with every other firefighter. But it's not the last step.

The last step is for every fire department to actually take that information and, as applicable, apply those changes in training so we operate different. The only real, long term way to honor those of us who get killed is to not have those of us get killed in the same ways, and that can only be successful at a local level. It can only be accomplished by local fire chiefs, fire officers and firefighters. a/k/a: Us.

Remember, it doesn't take more than a probie in this business to figure out that most of the past firefighter fatality investigations have provided the same information that had also been provided in other past firefighter fatality investigations. In other words, we keep repeating history. The professional firefighter death investigators will help us determine whether or not history has been repeated, again.

While we, all of us, are shocked when one firefighter is seriously injured or killed, when multiple firefighters are lost, we go beyond that. Again, understandable. And with all the activity going on in the last decade to reduce the firefighter injury and death, the news slams us right in the heart. Very understandable. But after that, we need to let the facts unfold. It is tempting to write, comment and do whatever, but the fact is that the facts are simply not out. Harry and I are not Monday morning quarterbacks. We are going to patiently watch the investigations as they play out.

Like you, we have seen all the photos, videos etc, and like any other firefighter, have loads of questions. And that's what we have, questions. As far as we are concerned, we have an obligation to allow the facts to come out while not commenting. That's how questions honestly get answered and how we learn.

On the other hand, if you think you saw something that you think went wrong, the best action is to make sure you and your department don't do that. All of us should train and train again on whatever your fire department perceives to be the correct way. You do not have to wait for confirmation. Get off of your respective comfortable reclining chairs and make a difference. That's how firefighter LODDs get reduced. Locally, through firefighter training.

So while we all wait for the facts related to the line of duty deaths of the nine heroic firefighters in Charleston, one suggestion worth considering is for any and all of us to spend more time training on what is known. Perhaps access to all of the NIOSH Firefighter Fatality Investigation reports can help. These reports are what is known on past firefighter line of duty deaths.