The head of a team of national fire service experts that examined the operations of the Charleston Fire Department after a 2007 fire claimed nine firefighters remains steadfast that the panel was objective and professional.
Gordon Routley defended the report Monday after excerpts of his and other members' e-mails were published Sunday in the Charleston Post and Courier.
The newspaper obtained several thousand e-mails after filing a Freedom of Information Act request.
Routley told Firehouse.com there was no conspiracy involved, and that the team worked professionally.
He added that he never imagined the correspondences would be made public.
In one e-mail, Routley wrote: "He (Mayor Joe Riley) is a master old southern politician, and he is working hard to make something ugly smell like a rose."
He and other panel members criticized the CFD leadership, and the antiquated operations they believed led to the tragic deaths.
Regardless of the e-mail exchanges, Routley said his team went about their duties with diligence.
"Our job was to get the facts and report the facts," he said. "That's what we did. We knew that those facts would not make people happy."
Further, Routley said anyone reading the panel's report will know it's objective. "We spent a great deal of time on the report and recommendations. We are willing to be judged by the product."
Mayor Riley told the newspaper he found the snide, cynical and sarcastic tone of the e-mails disappointing, surprising and at odds with the candid professionalism shown in the team's face-to-face dealings with the city. He said the messages show the team arrived with "preconceived notions about the fire that clouded its mission."
In a prepared statement released Monday, Riley focused on the fire department's diligence in meeting the experts' recommendations.
"What is important and should be the focus of our energy is the progress which has been made in the fire department since the Sofa Super Store Fire and what has been done to create the excellent fire department we have," he said.
"...When the team came in, we promptly acted on their recommendations, some of which were given shortly after their arrival here. We have continued to implement the recommendations given by our team of experts. We have a new chief, Chief Thomas Carr, who has been a change agent, listening to the firefighters, implementing important changes and leading the department through a difficult time."
Riley goes on to list the department's changes in personnel, equipment and procedures, training and behavioral health support.
"We will not forget the sacrifice those brave nine men made. I will continue to concentrate on what we need to do for our firefighters, their families and our citizens," he continued. "As I have said many times, the legacy of this tragic fire should be that the Charleston Fire Department rightly be seen as a national leader in fire service response and safety."
During the telephone interview, Routley said he has been impressed by the progress being made by the Charleston Fire Department.
"I was delighted when I heard Tom Carr was interested," he said. "I think they have the right man in there. He's been doing a great job forging ahead."
Despite tough economic times, the CFD has added positions, purchased apparatus and equipment and established SOPs.
Susan Nicol | News Editor
Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.
