Burned S.C. Firefighter Rips Dept's Safety Practices

John Bolton doesn't sleep well. Slivers of pain slice through his discolored hands, and his mind floods with vivid images from a hot summer day in 2010 when his world exploded in flames.

The North Charleston firefighter was in a stranger's second-floor bedroom when the fire he had been looking for suddenly found him instead. The blaze raced through the room, setting fire to a crew leader beside him. Then the flames grabbed Bolton as he punched at the walls, searching through the smoke for some way out.

Bolton said he and two other men nearly died that day. And he doesn't think his fire department took that close call seriously enough - an accusation that fire officials strongly deny.

Bolton said the department has done little to improve safety or address problems identified in the July 7, 2010, blaze on Purity Drive. The city seems more intent on fighting state penalties from the incident than in improving conditions for firefighters, he said.

"We are fighting over a piece of paper when we have made no safety changes," he said. "It's a disgrace. It's ridiculous."

Bolton said he was reprimanded for failing to follow orders during the fire, but those in command of the scene faced no penalties or re-training for more serious mistakes.

He said the department is thin on manpower, has limited training opportunities and struggles with broken-down trucks and equipment problems. The ladder truck he serves on has been sidelined numerous times for repairs without an adequate backup, he said.

Bolton said the city should have recognized the importance of putting safety first after witnessing nine firefighters die in the June 2007 Sofa Super Store blaze in neighboring Charleston.

That tragedy was blamed in part on command failures and tactical missteps, prompting Charleston to spend more than $8 million to upgrade the department.

"We can't be killing any more firemen," Bolton said. "Everyone should go home safe."

City officials said Bolton is way off base with his complaints. They maintain that the fire department is a solid, well-trained force and that its leaders have taken steps to improve safety in the wake of the Purity Drive fire.

A policy change was enacted to improve communication at fire scenes, and the entire department underwent a refresher course in rescue operations, said Sandra Senn, an attorney for the city.

Fire Chief Greg Bulanow said Bolton is spreading misinformation about the incident and the fire department as a whole. He has met with Bolton to address his concerns - most recently on Monday - but Bolton wasn't interested in the facts, the chief said.

"He has made some outrageous accusations," Bulanow said. "He seems to be trying to create a distraction, but we are staying focused on our mission and the organization."

Bulanow said the city has spent millions of dollars in tight economic times adding firefighters, upgrading equipment and improving facilities.

Training for North Charleston firefighters exceeds that of many fire departments in the state, and the 229-member fire department is in the midst of being vetted for national accreditation, an elite status attained by just 140 departments across the nation, he said.

"There is no more rigorous scrutiny I could subject our department to," he said.

Fighting for change

Bolton insisted that he loves his job. He said he's just trying to keep firefighters from being injured or killed in incidents like the Purity Drive blaze.

Bolton, who is assigned to a ladder truck, said the captain of another crew called on him that day to help look inside the house for the source of smoke pouring from the roof. They were checking a second-floor bedroom when it erupted in flames. "The fire just came rushing at us and we had to fight our way out," he said.

Bolton said his radio was fried and his bunker gear was burning by the time he found a window and crashed through the glass to escape the flames.

Bolton spent three days at an Augusta burn center recovering from burns on his hands. He and three other firefighters were later reprimanded for failing to follow orders. Bolton was accused of abandoning his assignment on a rescue team to enter the burning home. He denies that, saying he was never assigned to the team.

Bulanow produced radio logs and sworn statements from two fire captains, including Bolton's crew leader, indicating that Bolton had been assigned to the team.

The state Occupational Safety and Health Administration pointed to Bolton's presence in the building as evidence that the department failed to have enough firefighters outside and at the ready to assist in an emergency.

OSHA also cited the city for failing to properly monitor the whereabouts of its firefighters battling the blaze. The citations, which the city is fighting, carry a $2,000 fine.

Bolton said it was unfair for the department to reprimand front-line firefighters and take no action against higher-ranking officers commanding the scene. He said the chiefs didn't pay attention to deteriorating conditions or what their crews were doing.

"Nobody on the outside even realized we were in the building until I broke out the window," he said. "If I didn't find that window, there would have been three dead firemen."

Bulanow said that's not the case. The chiefs did nothing wrong in handling the fast-moving fire, and they were well-aware of the crew inside the home. They didn't know Bolton was in the house because he wasn't supposed to be there, he said.

Charges of racism

Bolton's wife, Olivia, sent Mayor Keith Summey and City Council members a letter last week alleging that fire officials are blowing off her husband's concerns due to racism.

Olivia Bolton said officials treated her husband differently after learning that he had married a black woman. John Bolton is white. She called on the department's leadership to step down so a more diverse and racially tolerant command staff can make necessary changes.

In her letter, Olivia Bolton referenced complaints of racist promotion practices in the fire department when Larry Waddle served as fire chief. Waddle left in 2006, though he and Summey have said his departure stemmed from management differences, not allegations of racism.

The city appointed a black fire chief to replace Waddle, and Leonard Judge held the post until his retirement in 2009.

Bulanow, who succeeded Judge, said he has no plans to leave, and he denied that racism played a role in his dealings with Bolton. In fact, Bulanow shared a card Olivia Bolton sent after the Purity Drive fire thanking him for all he had done for the family.

Veteran City Councilman Bob King said he sees little chance of council getting involved in the Bolton complaint and no need for Bulanow to step down.

"The chief is doing an outstanding job," he said.