Tactical Lessons Learned from Charleston
By Tim Sendelbach, FireRescue magazine Editor-in Chief

The Sofa Super Store Fire is an incident that I can only hope every member of the fire service never forgets. The nine men who lost their lives that tragic night are well deserving of our fullest respect; the lessons they left behind are invaluable to us.

As a member of the fire’s Post-Incident Assessment and Review Team, I hold this incident in special regard. Neither I nor any member of the team knew a single member of the Charleston Fire Department (CFD) prior to Aug. 16, 2007 (the day the team assembled), but today, I think we all feel we have a special relationship with the entire membership of the CFD. They are some of our nation’s finest, and the dedication and determination they demonstrate each and every day in their efforts to overcome this tragedy is nothing short of remarkable.

In July 2008, I wrote an editorial describing my take on the Sofa Super Store incident titled “If These Walls Could Talk,” referencing what I believe still holds true today: The mistakes made that night on the fireground aren’t new. In fact, many of us have made these same mistakes at some point in our careers. So if the walls of the fire stations we work in, or used to work in, could talk, they’d likely say, “Been there, done that.” As tragic as this incident was, a bigger tragedy would be our failure to learn from it.

As part of the analysis of the CFD and the Sofa Super Store incident, the Post Incident Assessment and Review Team published two reports, Phase I (Departmental Recommendations for Improvement) and Phase II (Detailed Analysis of the Sofa Super Store Fire). I strongly suggest that every firefighter take the time to review these reports and consider how you and your department would address these issues.

In addition, I offer these tactical points to consider:
1. As with any incident, always conduct a size-up prior to deploying into the building. Expect the unexpected. Obtain as much information as possible. Attempt to validate information from bystanders, homeowners, storeowners, etc. Consider the need to direct a company to the roof for an assessment, where applicable, and report conditions on the interior as soon as possible.

2. When extending attack lines, consider what effect the additional section(s) of hose may have on an individual’s air supply, orientation and emergency egress. Attempt to limit long stretches wherever possible. Seek the shortest route possible to the fire, and control fire spread via effective fire stream management.

3. When attacking a fire where aisle ways/access ways are created by movable objects (furniture, sales displays, etc.), always keep in mind how the movement of these objects can potentially change your path of egress and the access of later-arriving crews. Our firefighting efforts (simply muscling hose around these objects) could potentially be what disorients us if or when an emergency occurs.

4. Know your air supply. Never over-extend yourself, regardless of the circumstances. It’s strongly recommended that all departments implement a strict air-management program within their departments. Low-air alarms that sound while operating within the IDLH should become the equivalent of a firefighter mayday!

5. Know your surroundings, and open up what you can’t see. When entering a structure (fire alarm or working fire), take the time to look above you and around you to maintain constant situational awareness. Never assume conditions above you are clear without visual confirmation.

6. Never enter a structure without your tools (radio, flashlight, TIC, irons, etc.). A firefighter who enters without their tools is nothing more than an overdressed civilian ill-prepared to do battle. Make it a habit to take your tools everywhere you go (including fire alarms and odor investigations). Build muscle memory.

7. Communicate! We all have a responsibility to communicate. No incident commander will ever be able to effectively manage an incident without effective reconnaissance; we all must communicate to them what we see. Get into the habit of doing routine progress reports that include conditions, actions and needs (CAN). Consider adding air supply and personnel accountability reports (PAR) to each of your reports. Require crews to give a CAN report immediately upon entry, and request additional follow-up reports routinely throughout the incident (10-minute intervals, completion of assignments, crew movements from the first floor to the second floor, etc.).

8. Become a student of fire behavior. Today’s fireground is changing dramatically, and so too must our tactics. We can’t win the battle against an enemy that we don’t understand. Proactively consider the cause and effects of the tactics you employ, and always ask yourself (before acting): How will the fire react to X? What will happen if I do X?

9. Keep adrenaline in check. Aggressive firefighting isn’t about an individual’s speed, it’s about effectiveness. Control the adrenal courage. Capture as much information as possible before deployment.

10. Maintain effective command and control. Use and apply the ICS during all incidents, and maintain an effective span-of-control (3–7, with 5 being optimum) using company and chief officers and division/group supervisors.