By Glenn Smith
The Post and Courier
CHARLESTON, SC — Mayor Joe Riley on Monday selected Maryland Fire Chief Thomas Carr to lead the Charleston Fire Department as it attempts to rebuild and modernize in the wake of last year’s deadly Sofa Super Store blaze.
Riley chose Carr, 54, from a field of seven candidates, all veteran firefighters from across the Southeast.
Carr, chief of Montgomery County (Md.) Fire and Rescue Service, emerged as a leading contender early on. He has local ties, a reputation as an innovative leader and leads a department considerably larger than Charleston’s. Several fire service veterans have said it would be a coup for Charleston to get Carr as its new chief.
Carr has 30 years experience in the fire service, including four years as chief. The Charleston native oversees 2,200 paid and volunteer firefighters. Carr, who holds a master’s degree from the University of Maryland, also was a fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Carr, whose parents live in Charleston, invited the city’s fire commanders to train at his department following the Sofa Super Store blaze that killed nine Charleston firefighters on June 18, 2007.
City Council still must confirm Carr’s appointment as fire chief, but the panel is likely to support Riley’s decision.
Carr will take over a department still reeling from the sofa store fire. The deaths revealed systemic problems and led to expensive equipment upgrades and changes in procedures.
He replaces Fire Chief Rusty Thomas, who retired in June, a year after the fatal fire.
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