By Glenn Smith
The Post and Courier
CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Charleston fire chief’s office once resembled a shrine of sorts, each nook and cranny packed with artwork, plaques, photos and memorabilia celebrating the rich history of the “bravest profession.” That’s all gone now. These days, the space looks more like a war room.
Since taking the helm six months ago, Fire Chief Thomas Carr has squeezed in a conference table and plastered the walls with giant sheets of paper full of hand-scrawled lists. Each details a different set of tasks and goals Carr is pursuing to bring his department into the world of modern firefighting.
“There is so much powerful stuff going on here,” Carr said. “I really feel we’re getting ready to soar.”
Not everyone is convinced. Rumblings of discontent have surfaced in recent weeks among firefighters impatient with the pace of change in the wake of the June 18, 2007, Sofa Super Store blaze that killed nine of their own. An expert panel brought in after the fire called for a sweeping overhaul of the Fire Department’s practices, procedures and equipment.
Firefighters now have a new chief and millions of dollars worth of new gear. But several firefighters said they’ve seen little change in the department’s hard-charging culture or the cronyism that long allowed favored people to get ahead, regardless of qualifications. They complain that they see little of Carr, who some have dubbed “the ghost,” and lack faith in their “old school” commanders, some of whom have less training and education than the men they lead. Safety concerns continue to fester, as do complaints that front-line firefighters aren’t getting the advanced training they need.
“A lot of guys were hoping that Carr was going to be the savior. But nobody really sees him,” said one firefighter, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals. “A lot of guys are afraid that now we’re going back to the same old mentality.”
Not a chance, Carr said. He pledges to move the department forward but cautions that it will take time. He also insists he doesn’t play favorites. He kept and promoted some of former Fire Chief Rusty Thomas’ senior officers because he felt they deserved credit for their years of service, experience and capabilities. But he also will hold them accountable should they fail to carry out their duties, he said.
“The new chief doesn’t get to come in and flush these people down the toilet and bring in new people,” Carr said. “This is the hand I was dealt, but I’m happy with these people. They don’t work for the old guy. They work for me, and they have to meet my expectations.”
With input from the rank-and-file, Carr said, he and his team have been quietly working for months to bring about changes on myriad fronts, from choosing proper hose nozzles and improving diversity to charting a more coordinated, regional approach to firefighting.
Carr maintains this work will remake the department into a premier firefighting force, but no one should expect results overnight. This, after all, was a department where on-scene supervisors had little training in incident command and ladder truck personnel weren’t taught how to use the equipment their vehicles carried, he said.
“It will all come together, but it’s not a two-week and snap-your-fingers kind of project,” Carr said. “It will take time.”
Expectations have been high since Carr arrived in November to lead a fire department still reeling from the sofa store fire and the problems it exposed. Carr, who ran a fire department in Montgomery County, Md., that is 10 times the size of Charleston’s, was seen as a visionary who could turn things around in the Holy City.
“We wanted him to come in and slam his fist down on the table and say, ‘This is the way it’s going to be and this is how we do things,’ ” said Bill Haigler, president of the Charleston firefighters union. “But that’s not his style.”
Contemplative and soft-spoken, the 54-year-old chief approaches change in a deliberate, methodical manner. Soon after arriving, he made 56 visits to station houses to hear firefighters’ concerns firsthand. He invited them to serve on committees, e-mail him their ideas and help draft a new set of operating procedures that will usher in an era of modern tactics and safety.
“We don’t get our way every time, but at least he’s listening, which never happened before,” Haigler said.
Carr said the department is moving ahead on several fronts. A long-range master plan is in the works, and a 30-member class of recruits — the city’s largest ever — will provide a sizable boost in manpower. A number of training initiatives also are under way or planned, Carr said.
While Carr and his staff study change, the old ways continue in the field, putting people at risk, several firefighters said.
“I understand his plate is full and overwhelming, but at the same time, they are gambling with our lives with incompetents running the scenes,” said one firefighter, who requested anonymity. “Who is on the end of the nozzle? Not Carr. It’s us.”
Carr said he appreciates the desire for change, but it is important to take time and get things right, for the sake of firefighters and the community.
A particular sore point is Carr’s recent promotion of some of Thomas’ old guard to key leadership positions. Battalion Chief Robert O’Donald’s bump to assistant chief particularly irked firefighters. He was viewed for years as Thomas’ favored disciple and likely heir apparent, a symbol of the department’s outmoded ways, firefighters said.
Carr said he didn’t want emotion to play a role in the process, so he brought in fire officials from North Carolina, Spartanburg and Anderson to interview and rate the candidates. They too felt the veterans, including O’Donald, were most qualified, he said.
O’Donald declined to comment for this story.
The promotion of veteran commander Frank Finley to deputy chief of administration also drew some skepticism from the rank-and-file. But Finley said he is committed to doing whatever it takes to help Carr carry out his vision. “I’m not resisting change,” he said.
Finley and Carr also pointed to the recent hiring of Montgomery County Battalion Chief John Tippett to serve as deputy chief of operations. Tippett, who will start in June, is known in the fire service as a sharp, knowledgeable commander with a passion for firefighter safety. Some critics, however, fault Carr for hiring a former colleague without advertising the position and allowing competition for the job.
Still, former Lousiana Fire Chief Gordon Routley, who headed the expert panel that evaluated the fire department after the sofa store blaze, said Charleston appears to be on the right track. “
I have every confidence they are going to get through it and life will be good on the other side,” he said. “They are just dealing with the anxieties of getting there.”
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