2007 — June 18, Fire, Sofa Super furniture store, firefighters killed, Charleston, SC — 9

lornajarrettblanchard June 18, 2007

–9 Bluefield Daily Telegraph, WV. “Thousands of firefighters gather…” 6-23-2007, A-6.

–9 CDC. “Nine Career Fire Fighters Die in Rapid Fire Progression…South Carolina. 2-11-2009

CDC: “On June 18, 2007, nine career fire fighters (all males, ages 27 – 56) died when they became disoriented and ran out of air in rapidly deteriorating conditions inside a burning commercial furniture showroom and warehouse facility. The first arriving engine company found a rapidly growing fire at the enclosed loading dock connecting the showroom to the warehouse. The Assistant Chief entered the main showroom entrance at the front of the structure but did not find any signs of fire or smoke in the main showroom.

“He observed fire inside the structure when a door connecting the rear of the right showroom addition to the loading dock was opened. Within minutes, the fire rapidly spread into and above the main showroom, the right showroom addition, and the warehouse. The burning furniture quickly generated a huge amount of toxic and highly flammable gases along with soot and products of incomplete combustion that added to the fuel load. The fire overwhelmed the interior attack and the interior crews became disoriented when thick black smoke filled the showrooms from ceiling to floor. The interior fire fighters realized they were in trouble and began to radio for assistance as the heat intensified. One fire fighter activated the emergency button on his radio. The front showroom windows were knocked out and fire fighters, including a crew from a mutual-aid department, were sent inside to search for the missing fire fighters. Soon after, the flammable mixture of combustion by-products ignited, and fire raced through the main showroom. Interior fire fighters were caught in the rapid fire progression and nine fire fighters from the first-responding fire department died. At least nine other fire fighters, including two mutual-aid fire fighters, barely escaped serious injury.

“NIOSH investigators concluded that, to minimize the risk of similar occurrences, fire departments should:

develop, implement and enforce written standard operating procedures (SOPs) for an occupational safety and health program in accordance with NFPA 1500
develop, implement, and enforce a written Incident Management System to be followed at all emergency incident operations
develop, implement, and enforce written SOPs that identify incident management training standards and requirements for members expected to serve in command roles
ensure that the Incident Commander is clearly identified as the only individual with overall authority and responsibility for management of all activities at an incident
ensure that the Incident Commander conducts an initial size-up and risk assessment of the incident scene before beginning interior fire fighting operations
train fire fighters to communicate interior conditions to the Incident Commander as soon as possible and to provide regular updates
ensure that the Incident Commander establishes a stationary command post, maintains the role of director of fire-ground operations, and does not become involved in fire-fighting efforts
ensure the early implementation of division / group command into the Incident Command System
ensure that the Incident Commander continuously evaluates the risk versus gain when determining whether the fire suppression operation will be offensive or defensive
ensure that the Incident Commander maintains close accountability for all personnel operating on the fire-ground
ensure that a separate Incident Safety Officer, independent from the Incident Commander, is appointed at each structure fire
ensure that crew integrity is maintained during fire suppression operations
ensure that a rapid intervention crew (RIC) / rapid intervention team (RIT) is established and available to immediately respond to emergency rescue incidents
ensure that adequate numbers of staff are available to immediately respond to emergency incidents
ensure that ventilation to release heat and smoke is closely coordinated with interior fire suppression operations
conduct pre-incident planning inspections of buildings within their jurisdictions to facilitate development of safe fire-ground strategies and tactics
consider establishing and enforcing standardized resource deployment approaches and utilize dispatch entities to move resources to fill service gaps
develop and coordinate pre-incident planning protocols with mutual aid departments
ensure that any offensive attack is conducted using adequate fire streams based on characteristics of the structure and fuel load present
ensure that an adequate water supply is established and maintained
consider using exit locators such as high intensity floodlights or flashing strobe lights to guide lost or disoriented fire fighters to the exit
ensure that Mayday transmissions are received and prioritized by the Incident Commander
train fire fighters on actions to take if they become trapped or disoriented inside a burning structure
ensure that all fire fighters and line officers receive fundamental and annual refresher training according to NFPA 1001 and NFPA 1021
implement joint training on response protocols with mutual aid departments
ensure apparatus operators are properly trained and familiar with their apparatus
protect stretched hose lines from vehicular traffic and work with law enforcement or other appropriate agencies to provide traffic control
ensure that fire fighters wear a full array of turnout clothing and personal protective equipment appropriate for the assigned task while participating in fire suppression and overhaul activities
ensure that fire fighters are trained in air management techniques to ensure they receive the maximum benefit from their self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)
develop, implement and enforce written SOPS to ensure that SCBA cylinders are fully charged and ready for use
use thermal imaging cameras (TICs) during the initial size-up and search phases of a fire
develop, implement and enforce written SOPs and provide fire fighters with training on the hazards of truss construction
establish a system to facilitate the reporting of unsafe conditions or code violations to the appropriate authorities
ensure that fire fighters and emergency responders are provided with effective incident rehabilitation
provide fire fighters with station / work uniforms (e.g., pants and shirts) that are compliant with NFPA 1975 and ensure the use and proper care of these garments.

“Additionally, federal and state occupational safety and health administrations should:

consider developing additional regulations to improve the safety of fire fighters, including adopting National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) consensus standards.

“….Additionally, code setting organizations and municipalities should:

require the use of sprinkler systems in commercial structures, especially ones having high fuel loads and other unique life-safety hazards, and establish retroactive requirements for the installation of fire sprinkler systems when additions to commercial buildings increase the fire and life safety hazards

require the use of automatic ventilation systems in large commercial structures, especially ones having high fuel loads and other unique life-safety hazards….”

(CDC. Workplace Safety & Health Topics. “Nine Career Fire Fighters Die in Rapid Fire Progression at Commercial Furniture Showroom – South Carolina.” 2-11-2009 update.)

June 23: “North Charleston, S.C. — Fire Capt. Ken Dammand stood sharply in his dress uniform, his eyes reddening, as the families of nine dead firefighters filed past him and into a packed coliseum for their memorial service Friday [June 22]. “These people are dealing with a mountain of grief,” said Dammand, who worked his shift in Everett, Wash., and went 40 hours without sleep to make it to South Carolina for the ceremony. “If we can take on some of that, that’s why we’re here.”

“Dammand and a colleague from his city north of Seattle were among thousands of firefighters who traveled from across the country to mourn the Charleston firefighters killed in a furniture store blaze Monday night. It was the worst single loss of U.S. firefighters’ lives since the Sept. 11 attacks. They traveled to a region that normally draws out-of-towners to its beaches and historical landmarks, but where city offices were closed Friday as piles of flowers and cards and remembrances of the slain men have grown over the past four days.

“Some came in fire trucks that took part in a procession that wound its way past hundreds of onlookers, past the rubble of the Sofa Super Store and past the dead men’s fire houses before arriving at the coliseum. Dammand and Everett firefighter Tim Hogan came by plane, working a 24-hour shift back home before leaving, and waiting out a six-hour layover in Atlanta before getting to Charleston on Thursday. They stood shoulder to shoulder with comrades from Virginia Beach, Va., Saginaw, Texas, and Peoria, Ill. It was a trip they said they felt compelled to make to share the painful collective grief. “It makes it a little hard, every one we do,” Hogan said. “But the families deserve this. The fallen are fallen, they’re looking down on us smiling right now. Their families … we’re here for them.”

“The Washington firefighters didn’t care that they couldn’t get in to the coliseum. It was filled to its 9,000-seat capacity, so they joined several hundred others who watched the service on screens in a nearby convention center and outside the arena.

“Inside, a row of nine coffins sat before a row of nine large photos of the fallen firefighters:

Capt. William “Billy” Hutchinson, 48;

Capt. Mike Benke, 49;

Capt. Louis Mulkey, 34;

Mark Kelsey, 40;

Bradford “Brad” Baity, 37;

Michael French, 27;

James “Earl” Drayton, 56;

Brandon Thompson, 27; and

Melvin Champaign, 46.

“The ceremony started with somber classical music and bagpipers that led family members, each wearing a red carnation and preceded by an officer carrying a fire helmet bearing the number of their fire house. The mayor called the men heroes. The governor wondered aloud whether questions about a higher purpose for the deaths would ever be answered. “Who we are crucially depends on what we’re willing to stand up for in life. In short, are we willing to walk the walk?” said Gov. Mark Sanford. “They walked their walk right into the company of angels and to heaven’s gate.”

“Fire Chief Rusty Thomas changed the tone, drawing laughter and applause with anecdotes about the firefighters. He imitated Mulkey’s voice when talking about a phone call they had. He reached into his pocket as if to jingle coins when he spoke one man’s habit of doing the same. Kelsey, he recalled, had the energy of the “Energizer Bunny.” Hutchinson was nicknamed “Lightning.” “It’s not because he moved so fast,” said Thomas, whose father served in the department. “My dad said, ‘Lightning would have to strike around him,- to get him to move.'” He recalled a 3 a.m. fire call he went on with Drayton when the two worked together in 1977. “He’s hollering, ‘Rusty, get this thing going!'” the chief said as the crowd burst into laughter. ‘”That’s my house!'” Thomas challenged the 237 remaining members of his department to always remember their fallen colleagues. All were able to attend because firefighters from other communities were at their posts. “Monday, June the 18th, is a day that our city will never forget,

never,” Thomas said. “We lost nine of the bravest men doing what they loved to do best, fighting fire.”

“Later, after prayer and songs, a fire bell was struck in three sets of five rings, a signal that a firefighter had died while on duty….

“Federal investigators have not confirmed where the blaze broke out, but recordings of some 911 calls released Thursday bolster the assertion several city fire officials have made that it likely started at the back of the store in a covered space between the showroom and a warehouse crammed with furniture. A store employee told The Associated Press that workers frequently smoked cigarettes in that area and were strongly cautioned to carefully throw them away. Federal investigators have not discussed possible causes of the fire.

“Investigators planned to give an update Saturday at the site of the blaze…” (Bluefield Daily Telegraph, WV. “Thousands of firefighters gather in honor of nine who died in S.C.” 6-23-2007, A-6.)

Sources

Bluefield Daily Telegraph, WV. “Thousands of firefighters gather in honor of nine who died in S.C.” 6-23-2007, A6. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=118026531&sterm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Workplace Safety & Health Topics. “Nine Career Fire Fighters Die in Rapid Fire Progression at Commercial Furniture Showroom – South Carolina. Death in the Line of Duty…A summary of a NIOSH fire fighter fatality investigation.” Atlanta, GA: CDC, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2-11-2009 update. Accessed 8-16-2015 at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200718.html