By Glenn Smith and Ron Menchaca
The Post and Courier
 AP Photo/Alice Keeney Chief Rusty Thomas addresses the media during a news conference after the fire. |
CHARLESTON, S.C. — For the past eight months, Charleston Fire Chief Rusty Thomas has been challenged, criticized and second-guessed over his management style and handling of the deadly Sofa Super Store fire that killed nine of his men.
But Thomas has a message for his critics: He’s not going anywhere.
Thomas, the city’s fire chief since 1992, said coping with the aftermath of the June 18 blaze has been tough, but he has no intention of leaving until the Charleston Fire Department is transformed into “the best fire department in America.”
“I will not leave here until I make sure that the changes are done and they are done the right way,” he said. “That is my commitment to the city, that’s my commitment to my firemen and that’s my commitment to my community. I will not stop until that happens.”
Critics openly wondered whether Thomas was up to the task of remaking a fire department that he has led for more than 15 years. They questioned whether he could deal with some 200 recommended changes issued by an independent panel of experts hired by the city. The panel’s report called for a top-to-bottom overhaul. Many in the fire service expected Thomas to cling to tradition and resist efforts to bring the department in line with national firefighting standards and practices. Union leaders and a City Council member were among those who suggested that Thomas’ resignation was the only way the department could truly move forward.
Thomas’s supporters said he has demonstrated his leadership and mettle by embracing and spearheading the changes taking place in the department. Mayor Joe Riley said he is extremely proud of Thomas’ work and firmly believes the chief is the right man to move the fire department forward.
“He has certainly validated my trust in him,” Riley said. “I have never wavered in my support of Chief Thomas, never equivocated about his ability to lead our fire department.”
Michael Parrotta, president of the union-affiliated South Carolina Professional Firefighters Association, said the changes Thomas has enacted are largely cosmetic and don’t address the poor leadership that led the department to this crossroads. Keeping Thomas as chief after everything that has happened is “an embarrassment to the city,” he said.
“He needs to go,” Parrotta said. “As long as he is chief of the fire department there is no way they will improve, even if they spend $1 million on new equipment. The man has no concept of how to run a fire department.”
Thomas will almost certainly face fresh questions in the coming weeks when the city’s expert panel releases its investigative report on the sofa store fire. That report is expected to provide new insight into the department’s handling of the blaze and the events that led up to the nine deaths.
“Do I worry about it? Yes, I do,” Thomas said of the forthcoming report. “Do I think about it every day? Yes, I do.”
But Thomas said he won’t shrink from the report’s findings. He and his staff will learn from the report and use that knowledge to improve the department.
“We’ll make it better and we’ll continue to make it better,” he said. “We are not going to waver one way or the other.”