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From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Melissa Block.
ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
And I'm Robert Siegel.
It's been more than six months since nine firemen died in a warehouse fire in Charleston, South Carolina. It was the worst single loss of firefighters in the U.S. since the 9/11. The disaster has prompted several investigations into the way Charleston's fire department operates.
As NPR's Adam Hochberg reports, that's causing tension with the fire department, which is proud of its record.
ADAM HOCHBERG: The fire department in Charleston, South Carolina not only is one of the nation's oldest, but it also considers itself among the nation's most aggressive — a rugged force dedicated to saving lives and property in a historic city. At issue is whether they were too aggressive June 18th.
(Soundbite of radio communication)
Unidentified Man #1: Attention: (unintelligible) fire out at 1807 Savannah Highway, structure.
HOCHBERG: That evening, crews responded to what started as a debris fire on the loading dock of the Sofa Super Store, a huge furniture showroom and warehouse. But the firefighters' radio communication that night shows how quickly things worsened.
(Soundbite of radio communication)
Unidentified Man #2: The minute I got inside, the rear of the building is (unintelligible) and it's way right on the end of the showroom.
HOCHBERG: Just after crews arrived, they reported the fire had spread inside the store. More than a dozen firefighters rushed inside, too — attacking the flames in the department's usual vigorous style.
(Soundbite of radio communication)
Unidentified Man #3: I want you to come with the boys in (unintelligible) Savannah Highway and come in the front door.
HOCHBERG: But as the men charged into the store, they may not have anticipated the challenge they face. The building was loaded with flammable furniture. It had no sprinklers. And its steel truss roof allowed the fire to spread deceptively fast - faster than crews could bring in water to fight it. And as the smoke thickened and the firefighters' air supplies began to run low, several of the men apparently became disoriented and couldn't find their way out through the maze of furniture.
(Soundbite of radio communication)
Unidentified Man #4: Everybody get out of the building. Everybody stay out of the building.
HOCHBERG: By the time fire chief Rusty Thomas ordered his men to flee the store, it was too late for nine of them. They succumbed to smoke inhalation and burns. Today, more than half a year later, Chief Thomas says his department still grieves.
Chief RUSTY THOMAS (Charleston Fire Department, South Carolina): I lost nine friends, and we lost a lot of these (unintelligible). And those nine guys, they gave it all.
HOCHBERG: But as Thomas mourns the victims, he also faces questions about how his department handled the fire. Whether there was an adequate plan of attack and whether firefighters should have stayed so long in a burning building, even when no other lives were at risk.
Chief Thomas' boss, Charleston mayor Joe Riley, defends the department and says nothing could have prevented the tragedy.
Mayor JOE RILEY (Democrat, Charleston, South Carolina): This was a un-sprinkled building that was filled with very flammable sofas. And so it was beyond the firefighting capabilities of any fire department.
HOCHBERG: South Carolina regulators, though, have found fault with the Charleston department's response. They allege the department violated several workplace safety rules at the fire scene. Last month, the city, while not admitting wrongdoing, agreed to pay a $3,000 penalty. Among the allegations was that the department lacked an adequate command structure, which experts say made it hard to keep track of how many men were in the building and how much danger they faced. George Munkenbeck teaches fire safety at American Military University.
Professor GEORGE MUNKENBECK (Fire Safety and Emergency Management, American Military University): This was a very rapidly developing situation. And there were a lot of things going on simultaneously. I would imagine that in this confusion things started getting out of hand and people started getting lost. And if you put the incident command system then it becomes much easier to sort everything out.
HOCHBERG: In addition to the state investigation, the city hired a team of consultants to review how the fire department does its job. And while their report didn't specifically address what happened at the furniture store, it said the department urgently needs better equipment, better training and a new culture - one that Charleston City Councilman Henry Fishburne says should emphasis safety.
Mr. HENRY FISHBURNE (Councilman, Charleston City): The department has a reputation of being aggressive, some people have said macho. But you just don't rush into a building with a hose without making a risk analysis. That may have been the philosophy, you know, hundred years ago, 50 years ago. But it's not now.
HOCHBERG: City leaders say they are committed to modernizing their tradition-laden fire department. They say since June, they've updated their training regimen and improved their command structure. They've also pledge to develop a comprehensive safety program and upgrade much of their gear. Fire Chief Thomas says he welcomes the proposed reforms. But he also says his department never put firefighters at risk.
Chief THOMAS: We are an aggressive fire department. That's basically why most of our city is still standing. But we don't do it in an unsafe manner.
HOCHBERG: With the benefit of hindsight, is there anything that you think had you done it differently the night of the fire would have saved lives?
Chief THOMAS: No, sir.
HOCHBERG: Four more state and federal fire investigations are still underway, including one that's expected to address how it started. Meanwhile, the owner of the furniture store, this month, agreed to a settlement with state regulators, who say they found several safety violations in the building, including fire doors that, investigators say, failed to work the night the nine men died.
Adam Hochberg, NPR News.