NIMS During a Single Agency Response

NIMS and Charleston Warehouse Fire

June 18, 2007 witnessed the death of nine heroic firefighters in a conflagration at the site of a furniture warehouse in Charleston, South Carolina. The nine fatalities were "the worst death toll for firefighters since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks" (Fox News.com. June 19, 2011 P. 2). Perhaps more tragic then the loss of these nine courageous firefighters is that according to investigations undertaken by The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); the City of Charleston Fire Department did not follow national incident management protocols or standard operating procedures in place to coordinate and facilitate effective situational action. The question of whether adherence to these standards would have affected the outcome of the tragedy is purely hypothetical; however, more crucial is the matter of whether an individual entity can adapt to a national framework amidst a crisis situation? Unequivocally, the answer is yes, and such a blueprint exists; the National Incident Management System (NIMS).

The NIOSH Report

The NIOSH report provided a comprehensive analysis of the Charleston Fire Department procedures and concluded:

They mainly contained administrative guidelines and did not contain detailed

fireground operation procedures that would enhance fire fighter safety and health, such as a risk management plan, a fire department occupational safety and health policy, and other components of a fire department occupational safety and health program as outlined in National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1500. (Centers for Disease Control.gov. February 11, 2009. P. 1)

Additionally, the department did not adhere to established IMS (Incident Management System) protocols. "NIOSH investigators identified several examples in this incident in which recognized guidelines for IMS were not followed" (Centers for Disease Control.gov. February 11, 2009. P. 1).

City of Charleston Fire Department: Irregularities

Reports from NIOSH, USFA, and NIST indicate that "the Charleston City Fire Department has its own firefighting rules that conflict in some ways with safety rules adopted by federal and South Carolina fire safety agencies" (Central PA Fire.com. June 26, 2007. PP. 1). The crux of these conflicts stem from the actions of and procedures followed by the Incident Commander, Assistant Fire Chief Larry Garvin (Central PA Fire.com. June 26, 2007. PP. 1). Garvin took an active role in fighting the fire rather than position himself "outside monitoring the fire's progress" (Central PA Fire.com. June 26, 2007. PP. 2). "Federal guidelines lay out the duties of an incident commander…the job described as the brains on the scene of a fire" (Central PA Fire.com. June 26, 2007. PP. 2). Further examples of incongruity between the Charleston Fire Department and federal guidelines include: