Remembering the Charleston Nine, Three Years Later

June 18, 2010 – Three years ago today, Charleston, South Carolina, fire fighters responded to a fire at the Sofa Super Store. Nine of them were tragically killed after a flashover and partial structural collapse.

“We will never forget Louis Mulkey, Mike Benke, Melven Champaign, Billy Hutchinson, Brad Baity, Earl Drayton, Mark Kelsey, Michael French and Brandon Thompson,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “They were all taken from us too early and will be forever missed.”

Today, the site of the Sofa Super Store will be marked with nine flags where each of the nine were found in the fire’s aftermath. At 6:00 p.m., the site will be closed to the public and only fire fighters and family of the fallen will be allowed at the site.

At 7:00 p.m., the site will re-open and Fire Chief Thomas Carr will read the names of the nine and the Honor Guard will ring the bell for each one.

"Three years is not a long time, so emotions are still fragile here,” says Charleston Local 61 President Bill Haigler. “I think this simple ceremony will be just enough to pay tribute to our fallen brothers without being overwhelming.”

Since that tragic day, Haigler and the members of Local 61 have been working hard to create a safer working environment to help ensure that future tragedies are avoided. Today, there is a clear plan for what fire fighters are expected to do in the first 10 minutes of an emergency call.

“Before the changes, the fire scene was chaotic,” says Haigler. “There was no plan. Everything was decided on scene. It gives us peace of mind that we now have clear-cut procedures.”

Haigler adds, “Our relationship with the City administration has not improved as quickly, but it keeps getting better by the day. However, almost all members of the department are now members of Local 61 where before this tragic incident less than 40 percentwere union members.

Other improvements include having more fire fighters on the scene, consistently staffing four fire fighters on each apparatus and better protective clothing and equipment.