Shortly after a June 18, 2007, fire killed nine Charleston, S.C., firefighters, the city hired a group of fire experts to determine what went wrong. In May, they issued the second of three reports, a detailed analysis of the fire and the causes that contributed to the deaths. J. Gordon Routley headed that task force. For a full-length version of this interview and the full report, visit www.firechief.com

What are your next steps?

To work with the department on a five- to 10-year strategic plan to implement all of the changes and recommendations that came from the first two phases. There will be an interim team in place for 90 to 120 days while they hire a new chief. We're anticipating working with the interim team on things they can do to [implement] recommendations and provide some leadership for the department in the interim period. Then we're going to work closely with the new chief on the development of that plan.

Will you have any input in selecting the new chief?

I don't know, but I suspect we'll be consulted.

Will this task-force format become a trend?

For situations where there's something big that needs to be dealt with, that's very public, very controversial, relatively urgent and needs to be done promptly, that's probably the best way to do it. I expect others will follow the same model.

What are the more significant lessons from this report?

First, there's code enforcement. If the building owner had gotten permits for the construction that took place, if the code had been properly enforced, if there had been a regular inspection, then the situation never would have occurred. The fire would have set off two sprinkler heads and there'd be no story to tell. We can deal with a lot of these problems just by … dealing with hazards in the community. The other half is the fire department. We were looking at a fire department that, for whatever reason, was locked into the 1960s or '70s. [They] hadn't kept up with changes in technology, expectations, different standards for operating procedures, firefighter safety, and straightforward things like large-diameter hose and water supply. This was an organization made up of good people who were dedicated, and in most cases thought they were doing the right things. But they were just out of touch with the fire service in the 21st century.

But Charleston was an ISO 1 department.

A lot of people in the fire service are still under the impression that if you're ISO 1, you're as good as you can be. ISO is only looking at a particular set of parameters and their whole domain is property protection. Do you have the resources in place that should allow you to provide good property protection? ISO is not looking at whether you provide good EMS or rescue service or even whether you're operating safely. It's not a definitive measurement of a fire department.

What's your take on the Charleston right now?

I'm optimistic for the future of the department. It's going to take two, three, maybe five years to make all the changes, but the key pieces are in place. We're looking at essentially a whole new leadership team coming into the department. They're recruiting a fire chief and two deputy positions will be filled as soon as the new chief is in position. We've got a new training chief who came in from Fairfax County, Va. Some are going to retire because some changes are probably more than they want at this point in their careers. There's going to be a lot of upward mobility in the department over the next couple of years.

What can be done to reach other departments?

There are things in the investigation report and in the analysis, that we can probably find some parts of all of it in our own fire departments. This report provides us enough material to go out, look and find the problems and then deal with the problems.

What message do you have for FIRE CHIEF readers?

Don't be lulled into a false sense of security. You have to stay current. You have to measure yourself. Charleston did things the same way and convinced themselves that that was the right way of doing it. I don't think the people who were leading the department ever realized that the world had changed on them, and that's very dangerous territory for a fire chief and a fire department these days.