New union president wants to move Charleston forward

The new president of the Charleston firefighters' union pledges to use his group's newfound clout to improve safety and help the Fire Department learn from the lessons of last year's deadly Sofa Super Store blaze.

Engineer Bill Haigler, 37, assumes the presidency at the strongest point in the union's history. Some 95 percent of Charleston's 225 firefighters belong to the union, about double what the group's size was before the fire.

Haigler, who ran unopposed, said the union wants to work closely and cooperatively with the incoming fire chief, Thomas Carr Jr., who is scheduled to start his job next month.

Carr is known as an innovative leader who listens to the concerns of rank-and-file firefighters.

Haigler said he sought the union post because he wants to help the Fire Department move forward from the June 18, 2007, sofa store fire that killed nine city firefighters.

"I don't want to sit on the sidelines," he said. "I want to have a voice and be a voice for others."

Haigler said his primary focus will be increasing manpower and firefighter safety, the latter of which is a hallmark of Carr's career as fire chief in Montgomery County, Md.

The recommendations from a consulting panel that studied the Charleston Fire Department after the fatal blaze provide a clear road map into the future, Haigler said.

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Fire Capt. Jamie Greene said firefighters are excited to have Carr take the department's helm and they wanted to make sure they had the right person to serve as their voice. They feel Haigler is that man, he said.

"Bill is very knowledgeable," retired Fire Capt. Ricky Kroger said. "He knows what needs to be done, and he's on top of everything."

Fire Capt. Lance Williams said the fact that Carr is coming from a progressive department and has a reputation for working well with union leaders bodes well for the Charleston Fire Department's future.

"We didn't have a dialogue for so long. Now, we will," Williams said.

For many years, city and fire officials dismissed the Charleston Firefighter's Association as a "boys club" of rabble-rousers, a vocal minority with little standing in this right-to-work state. But the union's membership swelled in the wake of the sofa store fire, giving the group leverage.

Roger Yow, a retired fire captain, served as union president for five years before stepping down recently. Yow endorsed his vice president, Brian Conley, for the president's job. Conley, however, opted not to seek the post.

Haigler, a Charlotte native, joined the Charleston Fire Department in 2003 after more than four years as a firefighter in Rock Hill. He led efforts to form a firefighters union in Rock Hill and served as its first president.

Haigler said he expects the dialogue between Charleston's union and city leaders will be far better than it was in the past.

"We can't fight them all the time," he said. "There will have to be compromise. But we want safety for the guys and to make sure that what happened on June 18, 2007, never happens again."

Reach Glenn Smith at 937-5556 or gsmith@postandcourier.com. Reach Ron Menchaca at 937-5724 or rmenchaca@postandcourier.com.