Local fire community reacts

Charleston Mayor Joe Riley and retiring Fire Chief Rusty Thomas shared the report's findings with firefighters during a two-hour meeting Thursday at the Gaillard Auditorium. Afterward, many firemen walked away with solemn faces. Here's what a few had to say:

Firefighter Kevin Prin of Station 6 on Cannon Street fought alongside the nine firemen who died June 18.

Prin couldn't say what surprised him most in the report's findings, but he did say he thought the panel did a "fine job" of evaluating what happened that tragic night.

"A lot was disseminated in there," Prin said. "The most difficult part is dealing with the turmoil within our department. Mixed feelings, mixed emotions. Everybody, I think, at this point has come to the realization that perhaps things could have been lifted to a higher level. But there's still no way to conclusively say that the turnout would have been different. Obviously, there's always room for improvement."

Capt. George Gardner of Ladder 5 also was at the Sofa Super Store scene. Gardner walked out of the meeting about 20 minutes after it was started, his head hung low as he frequently rubbed his temple and eyes. He wouldn't say what he thought about the report.

Gardner approached Riley after the meeting and asked him to ask Thomas to stay. "I told him, 'He is this fire department.' "

"I agree that we need changes in this department very much. We all agree on that, and we're getting them. Him leaving, I don't agree with. I really don't."

Capt. Pete Salvo of Station 17, who also walked out of the meeting, said the report's findings weren't a surprise.

"It's not. It's what everybody's been saying all along," he said. Salvo was critical of the city-appointed panel of firefighting experts that did the report but wouldn't cite specifics. "Everybody thinks they know more than they really do."

Salvo also expressed his support for Thomas. "The fire department is Chief Rusty. Chief Rusty is the fire department. This fire department will never, ever be the same now that he's gone."

International Association of Fire Fighters General President Harold Schaitberger, who wasn't at the briefing Thursday afternoon but has seen the report, said the analysis contained "sobering and powerful conclusions."

"This union's biggest concern now is for the future and the safety of the tenth family in the June 18 tragedy — the firefighters of Charleston who are still on the job."