Bloggers Respond: Chief Rusty’s Retirement Announcement
Prior to the announcement CharlestonWatch.com noted:
Rusty Thomas has become a national pariah in firefighting circles, and beyond the CFD, he and Riley both know that his professional career as a firefighter is finished. Prophetically, he’s now become an all-too-publicly-visible albatross hanging from the Mayor’s scrawny neck. Adding to the injury, Rusty Thomas has neither the character nor common decency to resign. Nonetheless, he’s dangerous to Riley’s image and legacy because of what he knows about the dirty, albeit not so little, political machine that keeps Riley and his cronies in power. In all probability, if Thomas told a fraction of what he knows of Riley’s covert political actions to control city politics, Riley’s legacy and political career would be tarnished beyond repair. If terminated for any reason of professional incompetence, Rusty Thomas could sulk off and refuse to remain silent as Riley’s “fall guy”. Riley can’t take that chance.
After the announcement PressTime noted:
Thomas is getting out a day before the release of the independent review team’s report on the Sofa Super Store fire that killed nine firefighters.
. . . It’s all very warm and fuzzy … until the other show drops tomorrow.
Firefighter Hourly has a podcast in response to the initial announcement.
Thomas was right to resign. And again, that’s his humanness talking. There’s no way he could keep a business-as-usual attitude after losing nine of his men. He said the tragedy had “forever changed” him; again, totally expected. This is something he will always live with, and you know it will affect his performance should he continue to go to that job.
He does merit plenty of criticism for the way the Sofa Superstore fire evolved the way it did. Reports say the Charleston Fire Department was a hidebound organization, fighting fires the way they used to with little regard for new methods or training. Equipment had been lacking, and the general aggressive method of firefighting just doesn’t cut it any more. As chief, Mr. Thomas knows he set the tone, and nine firefighters are now dead. This has to keep him up nights.
This is something no man should live with, let alone be reminded of it every time he goes to work. And that’s what would be happening if he continued on the job.
Firefighter Hourly highlights a comment by Randy Hutchinson, brother to one of the Charleston 9:
I find it sickening that he states to the City Council that no person will ever know what happened in that fire inside the SSS. I do not believe that he thinks that one small thing could have changed the outcome. He still thinks it was plain ole bad luck.
He was sitting there and rejecting what the Routley Panel was telling him. Stubborn, maybe, Stupid, probably, In denial, definitely. I am glad that the era of the Thomas family curse has finally left the top command positions of the CFD.
I note with little surprise the absence of one particular group of people who seem to escaping unscathed. That would be the taxpayers. Us. We expect our fire departments and our police departments to be well-funded, well-staffed, well-trained and well-equipped. We demand their services at a moment’s notice. We expect them to put their lives on the line on a daily basis, and hope that they never suffer any form of harm.
A number of command officers had close ties with the Fire Chief. His presence shielded them from public scrutiny but after the release of todays Phase II report, will the spotlight come down on other fireground commanders since the Fire Chief is now out of the loop? No longer able to blame the chief for training will the spotlight turn to others who were responsible?
Heather @ May 16, 2008