Fire Dept. loses top rating
By Ron Menchaca
The Post and Courier
The door of Engine 2 at the Charleston Fire Department's Station 2 downtown still bears the insignia of the Class 1 ISO Certification. The department's rating has been downgraded.
The Charleston Fire Department has lost its coveted top fire-protection rating from the insurance industry, a mark that the city has long touted as a measure of its department's expertise but one that some called into question after last year's fatal fire at the Sofa Super Store.
The Insurance Services Office downgraded the city's Class 1 rating to a 3, effective May 1, Charleston Mayor Joe Riley and Fire Chief Thomas Carr Jr. announced at a press conference Friday.
The ISO is a private company that rates fire departments' capabilities based on available water supply, fire trucks and equipment, staffing, emergency dispatch systems and other factors.
Carr said the downgrade was not significant in terms of assessing the overall abilities of the Fire Department, which has made dramatic improvements in the wake of the June 18, 2007, fire that killed nine city firefighters.
"We may not be a Class 1, but we are a first-class fire department," said Carr, who assumed his post last month.
The decrease was mainly tied to deficiencies in the department's staffing, deployment of fire trucks, and training records.
But Carr said all of these issues already had been identified by the independent panel that evaluated the department after the sofa store fire and are being addressed as part of the department's rebuilding process.
The rating drop is expected to have little or no impact on residential property owners because the 3 rating still keeps the city among the higher-achieving fire departments in the country.
Many insurance companies make no distinction between departments that score between 1 and 3, said Allison Dean Love, executive director of the South Carolina Insurance News Service.
Riley said the only properties that could see an increase in their fire insurance premiums are certain commercial properties deemed high-risk, such as nursing homes and hospitals.
Bruce White, a public affairs offi-cer for State Farm in South Carolina, said the lower rating is unlikely to affect commercial properties either. State Farm is the largest insurer in the Lowcountry and state, representing some one-third of all homes and businesses.
Read the report
Previous Stories
Fire insurance rating to be evaluated; Charleston has best possible rating, but some say that could change, published 01/08/08
Department's insurance rating could be re-evaluated;Charleston currently has best ranking for fire coverage, published 07/15/08
But the symbolic impact of the scoring decline is hard to ignore. The No. 1 ranking has been a source of pride for the city and the department since it first was awarded in 1998. The grade is showcased on the sides of fire trucks, patches on firefighters' uniforms and embossed on the department's business cards.
Gordon Routley, a firefighting consultant who headed the panel that evaluated Charleston's department and studied the sofa store blaze, said the emotional impact of the downgrade is more significant than any economic hit.
"It's symbolic more than anything. There will certainly be a feeling of disappointment. But I'm optimistic they'll get over it quickly. The department is getting better every day."
The department began pulling the ISO designation off its equipment and other items this week. At Friday's press conference, the uniform patches that prominently displayed the Class 1 ranking were conspicuously absent from the shoulders of department commanders' uniforms.
In some ways, the Class 1 rating defined the tenure of former Charleston Fire Chief Rusty Thomas, who set the achievement as a goal after taking the reins as chief in 1992.
"When you're number one, you're the best," Thomas said of achieving Class 1 in a 1998 interview. "I've never been so happy in my life."
At the time, the department was one of only about 25 departments in the country to reach the ranking. Today, about 50 departments in the country are Class 1, including at least three in South Carolina.
Engineer Bill Haigler, president of the Charleston firefighters union, said firefighters expected the rating change. "The thing we didn't know was how big of a drop it was going to be."
Riley said the downgrade was not directly related to the sofa store fire. He said the department was slated for a re-evaluation of its ranking because it had been 10 years since it was last scored.
In the wake of the sofa store blaze, Charleston officials defended the city Fire Department's capability by pointing to the top ISO rating. But Routley and other fire service leaders have said the rating has become antiquated as a measure of a fire department's abilities.
National accreditation, which the Charleston Fire Department is seeking, is now considered a better indicator of a fire department's abilities and preparedness.
The ISO serves insurance companies, fire departments, insurance regulators and others by providing information about risk. It conducts on-site inspections of fire departments and analyzes the availability of water for firefighting and operational readiness before awarding a Public Protection Classification from 1 to 10.
Riley said the drop was partly attributable to the city's population growth over the past decade. He said the city has new fire stations on the drawing board and will reapply for the classification once staffing and other improvements are complete.
The department is on course to place four firefighters on every fire engine by the end of next year, Riley said. It is also improving its mutual aid agreements with neighboring fire departments to ensure that it has adequate fire coverage throughout the city, Carr said.
The ISO issues split classifications to take into account properties that are not within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant, such as rural homes and businesses. The city's ranking in this category rated a 9 both before and after the recent review. The ISO office in New Jersey closed Friday due to a snowstorm, and its officials could not be reached for comment.
Reach Ron Menchaca at rmenchaca@postandcourier.com or 937-5724.
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Tides (anonymous) says...
The only time Riley is not lying is when his lips are not moving.
December 20, 2008 at 2:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
firemike (anonymous) says...
The comment posted by both Mayor and Tides our correct. When I was training to be a volunteer fire fighter only one of the trucks I trained on had all the necessary fire fighting equipment on board. Some guy's went as far as buying there own equipment so they would be safer. Mayor Joe loved Rusty not because they were just buddies but because he could direct funds budgeted for the fire department to use on what he saw important. The only time we got new equipment was when people like Denis Leary felt pity for our department and donated equipment to help save our lives. Oh (I'm sure there will be an uneducated person that says I don't know what I'm talking about) fully sprinkled buildings help with the ISO rating. I don't know how Joe really feels about sprinkled buildings. All I can say is if he cared he would have adopted the new tax credit law to help people install them. Search this site for why he didn't adopt the new law and make your own decision. Or even better look toward his campaign funds and whether or not his contributors wanted sprinkled buildings. So if fire departments are rated from 1 to 10 and if 1 is an "A" I guess 3 would be a "C". This article just goes to show that our fire fighters have a lot of guts. They go into buildings every day with a "C" chance they will get back out. "C" can stand for ""Charismatic" or "Crazy", I'm sure that depends on the individual fire fighter.
December 20, 2008 at 5:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JH09915 (anonymous) says...
You know, it is strange to me that as many negative comments as I see on this forum about Mayor Riley, he somehow manages to get reelected everytime he runs and usually by a considerable margin. I wish someone could explain that to me.
December 20, 2008 at 7:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
charlestonian (anonymous) says...
It's still a world class fire dept, Corrupt Joe? Well maybe not quite with all those Class 1 and 2 depts out there in front of Charleston.
December 20, 2008 at 7:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Paulie (anonymous) says...
JH09915, I agree completly. King Joe is a major part of the Fire Department problem. Also, whenever there is any anger/backlash towards something Mayor Riley has a part, it is expressed profusely in this forum.
As he so accurately put it, Charleston has had many chances to vote him out, or even recall him. But, You, the Voters, keep re-electing him !
December 20, 2008 at 8:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
spengler (anonymous) says...
silly wabbits. smokin' joe owns a machine. until you break the machine or he is carted out of the office, dead from old age, you will always have joe. someone must break the machine.
December 20, 2008 at 8:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MikeSafety (anonymous) says...
The sad part is that there are MANY volunteer fire departments with class 2 or 3 ratings.
So much for "professional fire services"
December 20, 2008 at 8:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bootlicked (anonymous) says...
What was the rating before Thomases greatest accomplishment of "class one" was issued. If my memory serves me correctly it was all on the news about how the "class one" would save everyone on their insurance. Now the city has lost what they should have never had and it shouldn't make your insurance go up. Was the lie then or now. I know then and now. At least now the city fire dept. is capable of becoming a first class dept. at the expense of nine dead men. Good job Cotton eyed Joe you are da bes' !!!!!!!!!!!! You and Rusty will pay!
December 20, 2008 at 9:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
charlestongirl (anonymous) says...
Joe is being elected not by the people that write in these forums. Unless you live in "Charleston", not James Island, Mt. Pleasant, Summerville, ect. you are not voting for him.
Also know that his high dollar friends on Broad Street & such are keeping him in office because he takes care of them.
Plus, have you found any of his past competition to be of any significant caliber? Yes, the change is needed, but at the expense of derailing the whole city? Joe does his damage, but could someone else unqualified make it worse? Where would we be if someone of the likes of Omar Brown had won???
Let's get someone who is qualified & appropriate to run & I am sure the city will prove they are ready for the change.
As for the fire dept...I am sorry to the firemen who work hard everyday that they have lost this distinction, however, it does seem that the dept is getting better overall; with a new chief, needed equipment, more staff, etc.
It is now becoming what Rusty & Joe have bragged about all along, as well as safer & isn't that what really matters? Not just some label someone gave you.
December 20, 2008 at 10:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ccfirefighterchick (anonymous) says...
Chief Carr is a special person to take on a department with the problems that the City of Charleston still has. He is fighting an uphill battle, but I hope he will perservere. I am quite confident that Chief Carr will be able to bring the department up to the standards that they are capable of. Now that the old administration is out, he will be able to let the training chief do his job more effectively. He will be able to stand up and let council know that they NEED more funding for training and equipment. Coming from the department he left, I am sure that he will be the Chief that this department has needed for a long time.
When it comes time to re-evaluate, I am sure that the Class 1 will be within the reach of the department. And, I am sure that if they get it back, it will be much deserved.
December 20, 2008 at 11:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
firefightersforthetruth (anonymous) says...
The symbol can be removed but not the facts!! Russell Thomas SR. and his off spring Rusty lied about equipment during the course of receiving the great "Class1". They moved equipment from one station to another, while the ISO men were shuffled at a slow pace from one station to the next. They came up short on points needed then went out and purchased equipment that would score the points needed, even though the equipment was not essential.
Lies killed nine men. After achieving the Class 1 rating Rusty never tried to move the CFD forward, in his small mind he had reached the greatest achievement a Chief could reach. Safety, pre planning, strategy were throw out the window, because in his ignorance he did not understand that you must seek learning every day in the fire service. Army's always train and look for better stragidies, you never just sit stagnate for years, the CFD did.
SO! Where would the CFD be today if the SSS fire and nine good men had not died? Joe and Rusty would still be talking about the great "Class 1" fire dept. the greatest fire chief in the USA! They would be laughing at people like Gordon Routley and other fire service experts and saying " it has worked for us for the last 50 years, we will not change a thing". Lies and deceit!! SOMEONE IS STILL AT FAULT HERE! LET'S HOLD SOMEONE ACCOUNTABLE FOR NINE DEAD MEN! Joe can fire two city employees and bring criminal charges against them for killing a goose but not nine men! FACTS SPEAK LOUD!! THE TRUTH IS SO CLEAR!!
December 20, 2008 at 11:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
UpperSCFF (anonymous) says...
Mike Safety, in response to your blanket statement. I would not be surprised if ISO is a little harder on all Fire Departments throughout the Nation. Charleston had its heart ripped out with the Sofa Super Store Fire and ISO was also affected. Charleston FD is in the process of becoming the Department it deserves to be while ISO has to rebuild its credibility. ISO has changes proposed for its rating process which will actually address a Fire Department's true deployment-ability. I would not be surprised if all departments through the country, not just South Carolina, are placed under a higher level of scrutiny during the rating/re-rating process. So, yes, Charleston FD may share the same rating as some Volunteer Departments. However, all Departments should be working very hard to make sure that they don't lose their current ISO rating.
December 20, 2008 at 11:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
IPFreely (anonymous) says...
Well maybe some of the greedy families of the fallen firefighters could donate some of their millions to the fire department in memory of their loved ones. This might save their greedy souls
December 20, 2008 at 1:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bootlicked (anonymous) says...
You have new fire stations on the drawing board ? The ones you have are falling apart or infested with mold. Well cotton -eyed -joe you still don't have enough to man the stations you have. You have did some hiring but I'm understanding that you still haven't replaced those that have quit ,been forced to retire, been told to leave because of their deviant behavior in a city vehicle, went out on disability, or were killed by the city of charleston's incompetent leadership. Only the hospitals or nursing homes insurance is going up ? How about the CofC with their many dorms? How about the hotels? How about Dockside? How about Srgt. Jasoper? Too many to list. How many hospitals does the city have? You know who will pay for their insurance increases don't you. It didn't have a thing to do with the sss fire ? Are you kidding? We are not deaf , blind , or suffering from dementia. Are you, you little weasle? Still acting like the fire was an uncontrollable perfect storm. Well mayor it was controllable and it was a perfect storm of incompetence.
December 20, 2008 at 4:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
firemike (anonymous) says...
I heard about the equipment being moved around to get the original ISO 1 rating. A friend of mine came in on one of his days off to help move stuff around. I didn't mentioned it in my original response because I didn't think Charlestonians would believe me. I'm just glad to know that I am not the only person who knows how messed up the Charleston Fire Department is. I hope (and this is for selfish reasons) the fire department can get more money for equipment and training.
December 22, 2008 at 6:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bootlicked (anonymous) says...
I would be willing to bet that your friend is a bootlick or Rusty Ranger and he wasn't even paid for coming in on his day off. I would also be willing to bet he also got promotions or other favors from the chief. This is how the department was run under the Thomases. A real class one fire department.
December 24, 2008 at 10:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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