Lessons for Everyone

Janet Wilmoth's June editorial “The Naked Chief” on the Sofa Super Store fire and Charleston Firefighter Fatality Phase II report in the June issue generated a number of reader comments. The original article is available at www.firechief.com/ar/firefighting _naked_chief_0608.

I was personally proud and relieved that you have the strength, courage and determination to continue to unveil the hypocrisy of the leadership in Charleston. Like thousands of people across the country, I have dissected every ounce of information I can find pouring in from the Charleston tragedy. I have encouraged a number of our firefighters, as well as our chief, to become as rabid as I am about following this incredible story. There will be few times that a single fire event will provide such profound lessons about leadership (or lack thereof), incident command, equipment, communications, investigations, internal operations, accountability and hundreds more.

I feel more “fringe” parties should be forced to answer the difficult questions regarding their complicity in the tragedy, starting with ISO. The insurance industry had better rethink this antiquated, underfunded, over-hyped organization that does nothing to help the insurance industry, the insured or the fire service. It makes all larger cities have a false sense of security because they keep their historical rating without fear of re-rating unless they ask to be re-rated.

Getting back to the point, you have established yourself, in my eyes, as an editorial director with a conscience and an extraordinary sense of responsibility. Thank you for your very welcomed voice of reason and leadership.
— Jan Hope
Accreditation Manager
Carmel (Ind.) Fire Department

I liked the article very much. I think you hit the nail right on the head about the emphasis being shifted to prevention and political efforts. In my opinion, preventable is a bad word. As you state, it should be replaced by prevented. The article should be taped to the computer screen of every fire chief in the world.
— Troy Negrete
Assistant Chief, Sni-Valley (Mo.)
Fire Protection District

I truly want to congratulate you on the commentary. Some time ago I wrote a letter to the editor in our local newspaper about the 1976 study, America Burning. The response in our district meeting was minimal. Through conversations, I found out only the local fire marshals read the article and actually had an opinion. Also some of the designers and engineers who read the commentary and who work closely with our department stated it was a very honest and encouraging article.

One thing I can say is things haven't changed. The enforcement divisions have become the stepchild of the fire service. Enforcement divisions must become more vocal and give themselves more exposure. They also must get involved in community policing and remind citizens that prevention is the only way to avoid the loss of lives, whether it happens to firefighters or civilians.
— Frank Garcia
Deputy Fire Chief
Harlington, Texas

By What Method?

This is a response to “Flawed Progress” by Rick Ennis in the May issue. I agree with his basic premises; however, I feel the system is not the problem. Ennis' beginning quote, “misplaced focused on system over solution,” should be reversed. As Dr. Edward Deming, a statistical superstar, would say, “By what method,” i.e. the system.

Firefighters and chief officers seem to be bogged down by the “or” and fail to see the genius of the “and.” We need to focus on the system problems; we need both firefighting strategy and tactics and command and control at the same time. I also agree that trying to understand what to call a group. To me, a division, branch, etc. is not natural. I would rather see more common words like interior, exterior, group 1 or group 2.

I see that the system is not the telling the people “by what method.” How do we show up at a fire and start attacking while at the same time preparing our control of the scene? Towards of the end of Ennis' article, he writes “… responsibility to carefully weight the advantages and disadvantages of both and make intelligent, informed and justifiable decisions to deliver the most effective, most efficient and safest firefighting operations under the circumstances.” Isn't this what the training is supposed to do?

So I ask, is it a system problem or a training problem? You have both systems in place, fireground tactics and ICS/MIMS. Now lets train them together as one, by what method.

Finally, Ennis stated, “Understanding of fireground strategy and tactics is a result of the misplaced emphasis of training chief officers, the insufficient training of chief officers [and] the insufficient lack of fireground experiences of chief officers.” Who is doing this “misplaced” and “insufficient” training? The system? The system is allowing these acts to happen.
— Peter Sformo
Corfee, N.Y.