SConFire.com broke this story this morning
Charleston Training Chief Jimmy Ghi Quits
I must admit that from talking to fire service leaders and others I thought that Chief Carr was turning the corner in Charleston. Comments have been made to me that Chief Carr was the prescription for change and that things were looking up.
After the tragic fire that claimed 9 firefighters, the expert panel of leaders who researched the department and created the Routley report, other findings, and the most recent technical draft study on the Sofa Super Store fire behavior by NIST (National Institute on Standards and Technology) I really thought that Charleston was coming to the front.
Photo by Brad Nettles
According to Charleston’s Training Chief Jimmy Ghi that is not the case. Chief Ghi resigned and submitted a 10 page report to Chief Carr sighting many grievances citing ill-treatment and harassment from Chief Carr and others in the deparment.
Chief Ghi was hired by former Charleston Chief Rusty Thomas. Ghi comes from Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department in Virginia after a 26 year career.
After reading the article it is difficult to surmise what the exact truth is in this situation.
Is the new regime turning things around for the better? Is the old school mentality that is arguably the reason for so many failures which led to the death of the Charleston 9 still alive and well in Charleston?
Take a minute to read the article and comments on the Post & Courier article.
You know, there is a possibility that Ghi is just not a people person. Sometimes even sour grapes can be right.
First of all, my dad was never the problem in charleston. IT WAS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ITS SELF AND THE PEOPLE THAT WERE IN IT, NOT ALL OF THE PEOPLE BUT MOST OF THEM. IF HALF OF THOSE MEN EVEN KNEW A 3RD OF WHAT MY DAD KNEW WELL THEN 9 FIRE FIGHTERS WOULDNT HAVE LOST THEIR LIFE, I AM 22 YEARS OLD AND EVEN I COULD COMMAND A FIRE BETTER THAN CHARLESTON FIRE DEPARTMENT. MY DAD DID THE BEST JOB HE COULD DO BY TRYING TO TEACH CHARLESTON THE PROPER WAY OF FIRE TRAINING, HINT THE FACT THAT IS WHY THEY HIRED HIM AS CHEIF OF TRANING. BUT NONE THE LESS NO ONE WANTED TO LISTEN NOR JOIN IN AND LEARN THE PORPER WAY OF DOING THINGS, IF ANYTHING MY DAD LOVES HIS JOB WITH A PASSION FIREFIGHTING IS WHAT HE IS BEST AT BESIDES BEING A GREAT FATHER AND A GOOD PROVIDER, IF PEOPLE WOULD STOP BEING SO CLOSED MINDED AND OPEN UP TO CHANGE, WELL THINGS WOULD RUN A LOT DIFFERENT IN CHARLESTON THEN THE WAY THEY DO NOW.