Lawmakers hear call for state fire training standards

Disasters such as the June 18 Sofa Super Store fire in which Charleston lost nine firefighters would be less common if the state set standards for training and incident command, a former firefighter instructor told Charleston area lawmakers Monday.

Ronald Steele, who taught at the South Carolina Fire Academy from 1989 until his retirement in 2004, said the Legislature should mandate fire training in the same way it sets training requirements for police officers and paramedics.

Currently, fire chiefs have too much leeway to set standards for their own departments, he said.

"To me, the fire service represents the feudal system in Europe in the 1700s and 1800s," he said.

Steele said he asked to speak before the Charleston County Legislative Delegation almost immediately after he heard about the June 18 fire.

The 10 lawmakers in attendance didn't promise Steele they would act, but they thanked him for his service. Rep. Leon Stavrinakis, D-Charleston, asked Steele whether the state should look into mandated standards at the Fire Academy.

Steele said the academy's standards are fine, but "the fire chiefs aren't required to do it the way it is taught."

Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, who also chairs the delegation, already has said the state would review all sorts of building code and fire issues to see what can be learned in the wake of the deadly fire.

McConnell, R-Charleston, said Monday that some might criticize the Legislature for interfering with home rule — the right of local governments to mind their own affairs — if it pursued Steele's idea, but, McConnell added, "Personally, I think matters of health and safety and the environment are state issues."

McConnell also said such a change could open new avenues for lawsuits against local fire departments. "There are a myriad of issues we've got to look at."

Steele praised the city of Charleston for the changes in its fire department that it announced last Friday but said his proposed bill would ensure that all South Carolina departments stay current with their training and procedures.

Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771 or rbehre@postand courier.com.