On June 18, 2007, the Sofa Super Store Fire in Charleston, S.C., claimed the lives of nine firefighters and forever changed the Charleston Fire Department (CFD). In a matter of hours, what appeared at first to be a routine trash fire evolved into one of the most scrutinized events in the American fire service. A proud fire department with rich traditions formulated over more than 125 years had suddenly become the focal point for firefighters, the media and critics around the world.
In August of that same year, I was asked to serve as a member of the Post-Incident Assessment and Review Team. This six-person team was formed by Charleston Mayor Joe Riley to review and analyze the CFD and the events that led to the loss of nine of their own.
Over the next 12 months, we visited fire stations, reviewed manuals, inspected training records, conducted interviews, listened to audio tapes and responded to fires with the members of the department to better understand CFD operations. Between the Phase I and II reports that our team published, we identified more than 250 recommended changes that needed to occur within the CFD.
In the six years since, the members of the CFD have sought to understand, cope with and move on from the loss of nine of their own. They’ve worked under the leadership of three fire chiefs, implemented monumental organizational changes, and put forth a culture of safety that will unquestionably be a model for fire departments around the world.
As anyone might imagine, however, these changes were not all accepted with open arms; rich traditions and personal beliefs were questioned, and longstanding practices suddenly became forbidden. The CFD’s transformation has never once been outside the reach of the local media or the lens of video-graphers. The pressure to change has been relentless.
I share these comments as an outsider, an individual who briefly served on a panel formulated to analyze and review, with the most critical eye, a fire department and its members, whom I’d never met.
I stay in touch with many CFD firefighters and talk with them about the changes that have occurred within their department. Although I value every one of these conversations, I can honestly say that nothing has been more rewarding than the presentation I attended at this year’s FDIC.
This year, the Sofa Super Store Fire presentation wasn’t delivered by an “outsider”; it was presented by one of the CFD’s own, a firefighter who has experienced the events first-hand.
David Griffin is an engineer with the CFD. On June 18, 2007, he was the assistant engineer of Engine 11, the first-due engine at the Sofa Super Store Fire. In his presentation, David spoke not only of the emotions he felt having experienced the loss of nine of his brothers, but also the strong resistance he put forth to the imposed departmental changes. In short, he was not a fan; for several years he was not willing to accept the changes recommended by those outside his department.
Today, David is a doctoral candidate (and an instructor serving in the department’s training division), driven to learn more about the events of that fateful night and more importantly, to share the lessons learned with those he trains in an effort to prevent a similar event from ever occurring again.
In November 2008, Charleston Mayor Joe Riley hired the department’s first outside fire chief, Chief Tommy Carr from Montgomery County, Md. Chief Carr was charged with transforming the CFD into an organization representative of national standards, best practices and operational safety and efficiency. Over the next three years, Chief Carr and his staff carried out this mission.
Unfortunately, on April 24, 2013, Chief Carr passed away following a battle with Parkinson’s disease. Prior to his passing, Chief Carr stated that one of his goals was to have a member of the CFD tell the department’s story.
To Chief Tommy Carr, let it be said: A member has spoken and he has spoken loudly. On April 26, 2013, with a capacity crowd in attendance, Engineer David Griffin spoke on behalf of the 319 firefighters who proudly serve the city of Charleston today. And the message was clear: Change has come.
As an outsider looking in, Chief, you have left the Charleston Fire Department in capable hands. The “from tragedy to triumph” story has been told, and it has been told in their own words. Rest in peace.
