Community reaction to Chief Thomas announcing his retirement

As word spread of Charleston Fire Chief Rusty Thomas announcing his retirement, members of the community shared their thoughts:

"Ultimately I am not surprised. I saw this coming to a degree," said Charleston City Council member Kathleen Wilson.

"On a personal level, I'm very sorry to see him go," Wilson said. Thomas, an outstanding person, is personally devastated by the situation, she said.

"I think he's trying to do what he thinks is best for the department and if that's what he feels then I will go with that," she said.

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"I think in my opinion (Chief Thomas) has to do what is best for himself, his family and the city," Mount Pleasant Fire Chief Herb Williams said. Thomas served the city for more than 30 years. "I think he retirement is well deserved."

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Monique Duffy is co-owner of Mimi's Creekside restaurant on James Island, where Thomas' family frequently eats. She's one of the people who put up a sign in her window in support of the chief shortly after the fire.

"We put it up because we've known Chief Rusty and his family for years. . . I think that, in situations like this, people would have blamed one person immediately, and we felt that until all the facts were in, we wanted to show our support."

One person called the restaurant to complain, saying that the sign made it sound like they didn't support the rest of the department. Duffy disagreed, saying they supported Rusty and the firefighters. "It was a tough time, and we wanted him to know that the town of James Island supports him."

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Maurice Washington knows Thomas not only from the eight years Washington served on City Council but also because their children attend school together.

"He's a gentleman, a hard worker, and I think he gave the citizens of Charleston 100 percent of the best of his ability. I don't think he short-changed them at all," Washington said, adding, "He doesn't write and approve his own budget. I'm sure much of what he lacked, equipment-wise, were it his call only, the fire department would have been one of the best equipped in the nation.

"Change is sometimes good," Washington added, "and new direction, new vision, new perspective sometimes bring about good. Maybe the timing for him is right. I wish him well. I think he's a fine gentleman."

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"Quite frankly, I'm surprised he survived this long, with all the stress he was under," said Charleston City Councilman Gary White. "I'm sure he feels a lot of the pain that the family members who lost loved ones felt.

"It adds a level of complexity to the process we have to go through to improve the fire department," White said. "Now we've also got to go out and search for a new fire chief.

"I do think it will help the overall effort to change the culture within the department," he added.

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"He was under a lot of pressure, from the loss of nine people, and from people calling for him to go," said Councilman James Lewis. "A human being can only take so much pressure. He's a very strong fellow, but he had the weight of the city on his shoulders."

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"He loved that fire department," said Councilman Louis Waring. "I do feel the death of those individuals has been weighing heavily on him."

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City Council member Deb Morinelli said she was surprised to learn of Thomas' retirement and said he's done a lot for the people she represents in West Ashley.

"It's just so sad," she said. "I don't know what we're going to do without him. It's a bad thing for the city."

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"He certainly is going to be physically and mentally better off. It's been obvious to just about everyone that the

chief really hasn't looked well," said Councilman Larry Shirley said. "I congratulate him on being a man and standing up and saying 'Let the healing process begin.' I think the chief did what a responsible leader should do. There may be a few other people that also need to think about retirement," Shirley said.

Shirley said a national search should be conducted for the next chief, who should come from outside of the department.

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"I'd like to wish him well and I am looking forward to seeing the city of Charleston fire department begin to heal," said Chief Ann Graham of Isle of Palms. "We continue to support the city of Charleston fire department anyway we can."

Graham said she also examined her department after the warehouse fire and has added new equipment and reviewed operating procedures.

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Sullivan's Island Fire Chief Anthony Stith said he's known Chief Rusty for 30 years and said Thomas was an asset to the city of Charleston.

"I hate to see him go," Stith said. "He is going to be hard to replace."

Stith said a lot of people have wanted to pin the blame on someone after the Sofa Super Store fire. He said mistakes were probably made but "mistakes are made everywhere."

Stith said he and Thomas have become great friends. "I hope to see him hunting and fishing."