By Richard Gaines
Gloucester Daily Times
 AP Photo/Lisa Poole Firefighters hose down the four-story apartment building that was gutted by fire in Dec. 2007. | |||
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GLOUCESTER, Mass. — Mayor Carolyn Kirk today released a scathing independent report and analysis of the epic 2007 Lorraine Apartments building fire — and city Fire Chief Barry McKay retired, effective at the end of March.
The report by the public safety auditing firm, Municipal Resources Inc., was critical of virtually every aspect of the city’s response to its first eight-alarm fire which, on the night of Dec. 14-15, 2007, took down the four-story apartment building, killing one resident, and the Temple Ahavat Achim next door.
The report also had extremely harsh words for the owners of the Lorraine building, for failing to properly maintain it, failing provide proper fire safety technology, and failing to have the building properly inspected.
A number of other buildings adjacent to the Lorraine, which stood on the corner of Middle and School Streets, were scarred by the flames that were whipped into inferno by the wood building and strong winds.
“The Fire Department was unprepared to battle a fire of this size,” and the consultants added that personnel had not been sufficiently trained.
“Since the incident,” MRI in a report commissioned by the mayor soon after she took office last January, “neither the fire chief nor the department had initiated any changes to the departments Standard Operating Procedures.” though the lessons of the fire were acknowledged widely.
Kirk praised McKay for his years of dedicated service to the department, which he joined 35 years ago and has led for 26 years. She said McKay decided to resign after facing the magnitude of the changes that must come.
McKay was given a copy of the final report from MRI on Monday and met with the Mayor on Tuesday, Kirk said.
Kirk described the report as detailing “the breadth and depth of the reforms and changes that have to take place. “
The report, she said, defined “a moment and turning point for the city — a challenge to master the modern principals of a professional firefighter/paramedic department.”
Kirk said she would appoint an interim or acting chief to take McKay’s place after he leaves next month.
In his letter of resignation, McKay did not directly address the criticisms in the after incident report, but he conceded that “the fire chief’s work load cannot be handled by one person any longer.”
Copyright 2009
Gloucester Daily Times (Massachusetts)