Salisbury City Council came to the defense of Fire Chief Bob Parnell and his department Tuesday, saying a recent newspaper editorial was unfair and based on incomplete information.
Mayor Susan Kluttz said she was outraged by the Aug. 10 editorial in the Charlotte Observer, which said the Fire Department should give a "full, open response" to serious violations cited by the N.C. Department of Labor after the fatal March 7 fire at Salisbury Millwork.
The editorial added the public has a right to expect that substantial changes be made in the department and that a leadership change is in order if Parnell did not own up to his responsibility.
"I am upset about this editorial," Kluttz said, adding she thought it was important the council make a statement. City Manager David Treme gave a written response last week that was published on the Salisbury Post's opinion page.
Kluttz said the city is fortunate to have people of the caliber it has leading and serving in the Fire Department, and she wants them to know they have "our full support," she said.
The Observer erred in implying the Fire Department was not providing complete public information, the mayor charged.
Parnell and Treme made themselves available to all media who requested interviews the same day the Occupational Safety and Health violations were released, Treme said.
They addressed each violation, which found that the department broke state rules at least four times for not ensuring that firefighters remained in visual or voice contact while they were in conditions "immediately dangerous to life and health."
The state also cited the city for violations related to testing face-piece respirators and ensuring that at least two firefighters remained outside the Salisbury Millwork building when units made the initial attack on the fire.
Salisbury was fined a total of $6,563.
City officials have said the workplace violations did not contribute to the deaths of Salisbury firefighters Justin Monroe and Victor Isler.
Several of the problems cited dealt with policy or paperwork issues, not practices the Fire Department followed that day or how it operates overall, Treme and Parnell have said.
Treme noted again Tuesday the City Council will be purchasing about 65 frontline radios that are more rugged and water-resistant than the standard-issue radios that didn't work in some cases during the March 7 fire.
In its 2008-2009 budget, the council also approved buying a $30,000 mobile repeater to improve on-site radio signals.
Though it wasn't listed as a violation, a state investigator recommended the city "take action on the portable radio issues that hampered communication during the fire."
Management Services Director John Sofley said Wednesday the council will get a budget amendment to cover the new portable radios at its Sept. 2 meeting.
The city delayed purchasing the radios until negotiations with Nextel on an 800 rebanding contract were complete, Sofley said.
Council members said they have responded to the Fire Department's needs through the years as best they could. The quality of the equipment and resources available to the Fire Department has been reflected in the city's high insurance rating (ISO 2), putting it among the top departments in the state, Councilman Mark Lewis said.
"You don't get that rating with a lack of resources," he said.
- Kluttz said the city will try to obtain cost estimates for renovating the old Price High School building before appointing a community task force to head the restoration project. Kluttz advised getting the cost estimates before a task force looks at fundraising options.
- The council passed a resolution for Salisbury to participate in the N.C. League of Municipalities' N.C. Green Challenge.
The challenge calls on cities to adopt a climate protection resolution, create an energy improvement plan, register with the Environmental Protection Agency's EnergyStar program, conduct an energy audit and create a water conservation education program.
- The council approved an application for a $10,239 Justice Assistance Grant. Greg Pannell of the Police Department said the city would share part of the award with the county.
Eighty percent, or $8,191, will go to city police to purchase a mobile graffiti vandalism detection system, which employs cameras to identify vandals. The remaining $2,048 will go to the Rowan County Sheriff's Office.
- The council set Feb. 12-13, 2009, as its 24th annual Future Directions and Goal-Setting Retreat.
To VFD : Saturday, August 23, 2008 2:49 PM
Man, come on and put in an application. I'm leaving in January to go to Kannapolis to make more money. Oh yea, I'm a volunteer too. I do that for free too! But I have a family and a nice house and nice vehicles and I have to pay BILLS and feed my children. You must be have a rich uncle or something, or live at home with your parents. So come on, we are going to need people to fill the spots for people going to Kannapolis.
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Now that you mention annexation : Saturday, August 23, 2008 7:41 AM
Since the Friday 11:48 AM poster mentioned forced annexation, let me say that Forced Annexation is another bad law that should be changed. Just like the bad laws in the past that allowed slavery, segregatiion, and other evils.
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: Friday, August 22, 2008 10:25 PM
No all articles tie in to the fact that annexation is super evil and that everyone everywhere must be reminded of the injustice at hand. Haven't you learned that annexation is worse than corporate welfare/incentives which is almost as bad as medians blocking BBQ which is not as nearly bad as city folks running for county commissioner, which is almost worse than someone stepping on private property, which is definately worse than farmland preservation, which is much more evil than impact fees!!!!
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Public relations problem is the real issue here : Friday, August 22, 2008 8:16 PM
Actually this article is about Salisbury's leadership and its seemingly permanent defensive posture in the face of public criticism. They've had to do that an awful lot recently. I wonder when they'll figure out they have a public relations problem on their hands, particularly when it come to the veracity of Salisbury's leadership? It seems that was more the jist of this article, than whether the fire chief was to blame. It is becoming a progressively worse problem for them, too. They just can't seem to see the forest for the trees.
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: Friday, August 22, 2008 2:48 PM
I thought this blog was about the city defending the fire chief and fire department and not annexation?
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Salisbury's defensiveness : Friday, August 22, 2008 2:37 PM
It's unlikely that city council will change in 2009 because Salisbury voters, overall, are complacent. By November 2009, they will have developed a classic case of mass amnesia about the need for change, and those defending their seats will have been convinced by Treme that the way to re-election is to band together in unity.
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Re; Salisbury is always on the defense : Friday, August 22, 2008 1:48 PM
You said it well. Thank you for excercising your freedom of speech. More of us should do so. More of us should attend the Salisbury City Council meetings and the County Commission meetings. More of us should write letters to the editor and make our feelings known. More of us should speak out at the Salisbury City Council meetings and Rowan County Commission meetings to make our feelings known. Forced annexations also show no respect or regard for their nearby neighbors. NCLM lackeys follow the NCLM program of forced annexation. True leaders will find ways to grow their cities without alienating their neighbors by stealing from them.
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To VFD : Friday, August 22, 2008 8:27 AM
To VFD...Go apply for a job with SFD...they are hiring. Because the SFD firefighters are leaving to go to other surrounding Cities for higher paying jobs.
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: Friday, August 22, 2008 1:08 AM
Council members are politicians, politicians wrote the Constitution and the amendments. Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Therefore Mayor Kluttz everyone even the Observer and you have the right to say and write what they like, but the annexation gurus have picked up on the wrong blog. WE DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR EXTRA TAXES AND THE BRICKS ON FISHER ST. If we did we would be on those blogs, please don't suggest how the fire service needs to be run because YOU DON'T CARE. If you did you would not be here writing about annexation. Every firefighter rather he/she be here or has any connection here ie.(BROTHERHOOD) has so much grieve (worse on some days) that we all feel some responsiblity to the events that were done wrong on 3/7/08. We need to take charge in ourselves to correct our wrongs whatever they are so we don't lose another brother. I would like to tell you all who I am, but it would affect others so I won't, and know in my heart that some firefighter are only carrying grieve because of the delayed closure. Firefighters remember the pictures in your wallet, it dosn't take a bad call on scene to do us in, find a way to relieve your stress. After the comment was made "that everyone should leave us alone and let us deal with it" Jay Lowry once commented on Charleston Fire Dept that their fire department has become the nations fire department because of the events of 6/18/07. This serves the same here, Salisbury must face that the people will be here until all the facts are provided and dealt with so we can have closure. The longer we go the more attention we draw. Everyone reading this there is an eye opening audio file dated August 21 on Venting the roof, FIREFIGHTERHOURLY.COM on a report release of a FDNY incident with grave results. Traci, Victor Jr, Ryan-Ann, Lisa and Eddie you all are still and always will be in my prayers.
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STAY POSITIVE!!!!!!! : Friday, August 22, 2008 12:20 AM
These firefighters and law enforcement officers are what I would like to refer to as WARRIORS...They are Warriors against the daily battles of having to function in the most terrifying environments and under stress that far exceeds anything you pencil pushers will ever experience. They leave their families, daily not knowing if they will live to see the end of a tour of duty. They are Warriors for training daily to stay at the top of their game to ensure that they are better prepared for the unknown and they know that the risks they take may be the last. Their jobs are so unpredictable, and most have experiences that will leave most of you in a corner crying for Mommy..They are Warriors that after reading critisism from Bigots and pollitically motivated hypocrites (TROLLS) that have no morals or values, to stay motivated enough to want to continue to serve their community for not even enough pay to support a family..You "trolls" have no idea what it is or what it takes to be one of these WARRIORS, These fine men and women that will and do drop what they are doing to come and visit you, when you are having what could potentially be the worst day of your life. You'll never recognize them for what they do until you need them or until tragedy strikes..and even then, most of you will still criticize the job they do, thats demonstrated throughout these posts and the Charlotte DISTURBER. After all, I'm sure you perform your job correctly 100% of the time..you're perfect, right? And you want point fingers and place blame. Maybe IF you had the courage and fortitude and the willingness to serve, you could have been there and tried to make a difference that day..but you weren't because you don't..You don't have the same ability they do, the ability to place the lives and property of others before their own lives..partly because they feel they would be neglecting you and their duty to you, if they DIDN'T..Yeah, I could see you same Hypocrits posting and writing letters to the editor if these Warriors would have stood outside and let the building burn to the ground..You people are so two faced..you know who you are and I'm sure more of you will show your face before its over..You want the responsibiltiy that Chief Parnell has..Go wear his shoes for a day..Oh yeah, thats right..that would include that you show your face and man up to your useless words of wisdom..Go back to pushing pencils and contributing nothing to society and drawing your large paychecks with one job...These Warriors will go back to theirs, and they'll do it without one single complaint, again, unlike yourselves. To all the Warriors..BE SAFE, Take care of one another and support each other..To the rest of US regular citizens...We better be careful...you never know when we'll get a paper cut at work or something..
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Concerned Taxpayer : Thursday, August 21, 2008 9:51 PM
Using deaths as reasoning and leverage to receive a pay increase is despicable.
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VFD Member : Thursday, August 21, 2008 9:44 PM
To the Salisbury firefighter complaining about pay. I will gladly come take your job for the same or less money. I do mine for free. Let me know when I can start.
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Salisbury always on the "defense", it seems : Thursday, August 21, 2008 8:53 PM
Salisbury seems to be perpetually on the "defense" when it comes to staff actions, except for perhaps the "offensive" annexations. When will the City leadership be capable of exemplary leadership that doesn't have to continue to make excuses for their miserable failings? Forced annexation is an admission that the City is poorly managed, and is their last straw at a financial bail-out. That's why they fight changes in the law so fiercely. Until forced annexation is ended, cities like Salisbury will continue to take inappropriate risks, and make poor decisions. It is truly pitiful to watch the rubber stamp show that their meetings have become. There is zero leadership on that board, so that staff never has to feel any real accountability for any recommendations or decisions. Perhaps 2009 will bring some badly needed changes. Where are the good candidates?
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give treme a big raise : Thursday, August 21, 2008 8:03 PM
who ever wrote treme is a wonderful person you never worked for him. do you wonder why the personel director, asst.city manager of utilities, and asst. utilities manager left. wonder why there is such a turn over in utilities? why is there so much inexpierenced promotions within dept.'s? does anybody know how much the fine was for the improper disposal and upkeep of the city landfill? treme is probably due another 5% raise, and a $1500 car allowance, a good gesture on treme's part would be to take his raise and devide it with the fire dept.
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I wonder? : Thursday, August 21, 2008 5:13 PM
Would there be all this fuss if one of our Police Officers or Deputies were killed? Probably not. They are underpaid and overworked, but know one seems to care.
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P Rary
: Thursday, August 21, 2008 3:40 PM
Policy or Paper work Issues? It was not the practices the Fire Dept. followed that day? But yet they addressed each violations which found the dept broke state rules! At least 4 times for not ensuring the safety that the firefighters remained in visual contact or voice? Justin was sent out by himself! Sent back in by himself! There was a comment that someone made its time to move on and learn from their mistakes. The sad part is they wont admit it. Please let your conscious be your guide and just tell the truth.
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Reply to person saying to sue : Thursday, August 21, 2008 3:18 PM
If you husband or child were a firefighter you would understand the risk involved and that they know the risk when they took the job. There is a quote for people like you and most of the people leaving comments " Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"
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time to move on??? : Thursday, August 21, 2008 2:57 PM
could you move on if it were your family member that died that day. it's easy for people to say move on when its not directly affecting their life but when you face the loss everyday i dont think it would be that easy for you to "move on" there's no way for these families to move on without closure of what happened that day. thank goodness for osha and other agencies which investigate and bring forth wrong doing so that corrections can be made to prevent such tragedies from happening again. when all the facts have been brought forward then maybe people will be able to move on but until all reports are in you better not plan on moving on anytime soon.
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: Thursday, August 21, 2008 2:25 PM
I agree with J Wood. Time to move on.We all learn from our mistakes or grow stronger one.
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Independent Review : Thursday, August 21, 2008 2:25 PM
To point fingers, spread rumors or guess at what occurred during the events of 7 March 2008 will never ease the minds of anyone connected with this tragedy. The heartache, felt by all, will never go away. Every major accident I have ever been involved with or read about in my 26 year military career was independently investigated by a board of professionals from “Outside” the base I was stationed at and “Outside” the chain of command where the accident occurred. This ensured there was no undue influence felt by the investigating team and those involved felt they received a fair and impartial report when it was presented. An independent review, conducted by a panel of professionals from outside of Salisbury/Rowan County would be a start to healing a growing rift that we don’t need in our city.
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: Thursday, August 21, 2008 2:05 PM
Dave Treme is a wonderful City Manager. The Fire Chief is responsible for knowing all. Put the responsibility on him.
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: Thursday, August 21, 2008 2:01 PM
If it were my son, or husband that I lost that day, I would sue the City!! OSHA has already cited & fined the City of Salisbury, so there is your proof that everything was NOT done properly that day on March 7th.
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: Thursday, August 21, 2008 1:29 PM
For you to think that the 2 families will sue SFD it proves that you nothing about them or the situation!!! These families have done nothing but support the fire department since March and, unlike the rest of the community, have come to terms that sometimes bad things just happen to good people. Please let these men rest in peace and let their families continue to mourn their loss.
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: Thursday, August 21, 2008 12:23 PM
Its clear that many of you motivated to post on these comments section have a clear dislike for the City of Salisbury due to the annexation. However, please do not transfer that dislike to the Salisbury Fire Department and the excellent professionals that work there. Everyday, firefighters and police go out there to protect you, and often for a small amount of money compared to other professionals. The same can be said about teachers that are shaping the lives of your childen.
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: Thursday, August 21, 2008 11:56 AM
Right or wrong, the city officials always defend their people. To do otherwise is to admit that mistakes were made. The city council and city manage Treme simply will never do that. The fireman who posted made a good point about the Fisher Street bricks. Appearances are more important to city officilas than the safety of the firemen inspite of the city council's insistance to the contrary. Actions speak louder than words. The 2009 city elections should see some major changes at the top. It is too bad that Treme is not an elected official. He would be the first to go. The City Council and Treme are the ones who have to take responsibility. So far they have not, but we voters know who is respoonsible.
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Anexation was too expensive for Salisbury : Thursday, August 21, 2008 11:49 AM
"If the forced annexation (which I opposed wholeheartedly and am not trying to offend those other "extremist annexation foes") had passed, the city would be able to have collected more taxes, there would have been more money to go around, and maybe then the city council could have afforded to buy the firefighters better equipment." This is not a true statement. If the city had annexed the Highway 150 area, they would have had to spend about 35 million dollars. The annexation would have cost the city far more than the city would have recouped in taxes. That is why the city backed down and decided not to annex them.
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firemen dead : Thursday, August 21, 2008 11:19 AM
Bet Mayor you will be even more upset when the things in this article are investigated by lawyers hired, hopefully, by the families of the two dead men, and the city of Salisbury is sued for negligence leading to their deaths
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Deny, Deny, Deny! : Thursday, August 21, 2008 10:35 AM
Have you ever known the present city administration to admit a mistake? They even tried to blame the state for the expensive Highway 70 boondoogle. The city only wanted to annex the Highway 150 folks if they would quietly pay taxes and not insist on all the meager services required by NC law. Apparently, city officials believe that to be terribly unfair. Two men are dead in a fire but the leadship did a great job. Surely nobody believes the radios put them in harm's way! There will always be equipment limitations. Good leadership means safely doing the best job possible without exceeding limitations of the equipment in use. Who broke the safety rules? Had the required outside firemen been present they would likely have noticed the hose losing pressure for whatever reason.
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Jay Lowry Firefighterhourly.com
Unreal : Thursday, August 21, 2008 10:21 AM
The notion that a class 2 fire department is indicative of a good operational department is a tragic lesson that just played out. In Charleston, SC the ISO Class 1 fire department lost nine men and was found to be woefully behind the rest of the nation. It has led to sweeping changes in leadership and the way business is done. What's needed in Kannapolis in an independent review of the department and the events of this tragic day. It doesn't mean the fire department did anything wrong but opening up records to objective observers will tell the true tale.
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Sadden by the lack of ownership
fortunate to have people of the caliber..? : Thursday, August 21, 2008 9:55 AM
They addressed each violation, which found that the department broke state rules at least four times for not ensuring that firefighters remained in visual or voice contact while they were in conditions "immediately dangerous to life and health." They Broke The Rules That Are Put In Place To Ensure The Safety Of Each Firefighter. How can this be--fortunate to have people of the caliber it has leading and serving in the Fire Department--? The outcome may not have been changed but maybe they would have been able to get to Justin sooner if he was with his crew and not sent 75 feet away to the exit to relay communications! Maybe we are looking at it the wrong way. Maybe it's not for Parnell to take a beating. It should be the one who ordered that command. We ALL know who that was. But to brush it under the rug as they are experts and have NO fault? Come on are you kidding me?
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city council : Thursday, August 21, 2008 9:44 AM
how can the city council say that workplace violations did not contribute to the deaths of victor isler and justin monroe. were they in the building during the fire? i dont think osha would have sited them for not keeping visual contact of a firefighter during the incident if this information were not true. no one is saying salisbury fire department isnt a well trained department but they are mostly a stepping stone for fireman to move onto cities which pay $6000.00 - $8000.00 more a year. i think this is something that needs to be looked into. salisbury has lost several firefighters since march 7th because of the low pay. two men lost their life that day all we seem to see is how supportive the city council is to chief parnell. i think what needs to be addressed is the truth.
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J. Wood
YOU CAN'T BLAME THE CITY COUNCIL FOR EVERYTHING!!! : Thursday, August 21, 2008 9:38 AM
Listen, I've read all the articles on this tragedy and all the comments posted on the Salisbury Post's website, and while the City Council could have provided the fire departments with better equipment, they are not the ones at fault for the tragic deaths of our firefighters. Can't we just let all the blame games go and let our community heal? Everyone does the best they can, given the circumstances, but firefighting is a dangerous job, and sometimes tragedies just happen. And while everyone's so intent on blaming the city council, consider this: If the forced annexation (which I opposed wholeheartedly and am not trying to offend those other "extremist annexation foes") had passed, the city would be able to have collected more taxes, there would have been more money to go around, and maybe then the city council could have afforded to buy the firefighters better equipment. It's the same thing with all the "tax incentives" being given to big businesses, who would be able to contribute huge amounts of money to the city. I think times are just tough right now for everybody, and we need someone to reevaluate and re-prioritize what's more important: saving lives, bigger and better roads, tax incentives to big businesses who can provide more jobs, etc., etc. We can't fight every little tax increase and then get mad when the city can't afford to buy everything for everyone!!!! Our community needs to heal, and I was very upset when I read the Observer's article. Those poor men who VOLUNTEER to save and protect lives have been through enough, and we all need to stop pointing fingers and come together as a community to find a real solution and to heal.
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Concerned Salisbury Firefighter
Mark Lewis' Comment, HAHA what a JOKE! : Thursday, August 21, 2008 9:34 AM
"Council members said they have responded to the Fire Department's needs through the years as best they could" If that is the case then why time after time when Chief Parnell has came to you wanting more people and more money to pay people you have turned him down year after year. But you spend thousands of dollars to brick Fisher St. Maybe if you would have listened to him the first couple years, we would have had enough people to operate a truck and the 2 in 2 out rule would be followed. Come on City Council, Look at Kannapolis and Mooresville, they raised their pay and hired more people. I bet a Kannapolis or Mooresville firefighter can't count on both hands how many people have come and gone. Wake up people, or nothing will ever change!
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An unjust world, indeed : Thursday, August 21, 2008 8:51 AM
For Salisbury City Council, the world is so unjust. To hear them tell it, it's only the extremist annexation foes trying to do them in. Then the Charlotte Observer wrote its article. To my knowledge, no one on the editorial staff at the Observer lives off Highway 150. And now, the Mayor says it is a falsehood that staff has been less than forthcoming. The Charlotte Observer begged to differ. It seems like the little house of cards built by Treme is only waiting for a breeze coming from the south to blow it over. And the Observer is not under the control of local power brokers who can shield the City Council from their critical eye. Back when the Grim Reaper used to post online, he or she frequently claimed to be watching. Maybe he doesn't have to anymore, since they've drawn attention from out of town.
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Love of history: Teacher's ability to reach students leads to honor
