One year ago, on June 18, nine firefighters from the Charleston, SC, Fire Department (CFD) were tragically killed in the line of duty in a commercial building fire.
An independent panel, lead by retired Fire Chief Gordon Routley, that was hired to study the CFD following the Sofa Super Store tragedy has now released the Phase II section of the report. This report clearly identifies what went wrong - and why. It says the department inadequately trained and supervised its personnel and those problems directly led to the men being exposed to excessive risks on the night of the fire. The report also cites that firefighters did not follow standard practices and had obsolete equipment when battling the Sofa Super Store blaze. There was no command, control or accountability and the tactics were woefully inadequate.
Join Chief Billy Goldfeder for a discussion with Chief Gordon Routley and panelist Chief Mike Chiarmonte as they discuss the issues specific to moving forward and the re-building of the Charleston Fire Department.
Related Links
• Charleston Phase II Report: Poor Training Led to Deaths
• Charleston, SC, Sofa Store Fireground Audio
• Phase II Report (PDF)
• Firehouse.com's Charleston, SC, Tragedy Coverage
• Through The Smoke: The Charleston Fire - What's Changed? - Part 1
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