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""The gentleman actually created a very dangerous situation, not only for himself but also for our firefighters," fire chief Kim Lawson said."

Interim Chief Lawson generally gets good marks, but this statement is simply not true. The man was NOT going to ENTER the apartment. He was going up on the balcony to let his dog OUT. The smoke-eaters knew he wasn't going to try to enter the building, so no one would have placed in the peril of trying to then go in and save HIM. So the smoke-eaters weren't in any further danger. Frankly, they weren't in ANY danger at all, since they were fighting the fire from the ground and their vehicles.

Is there no one left in America who will simply say, "We goofed." Public figgers in the country seem to be completely incapable of admitting that they could have done better.

Michael

Several years ago, a uniformed pistol waving kop
rousted me from the site of a second floor fire,
in a wooden house built in 1932.

The FireFighters were informed, via 911 and on-site that there was a man trapped by the fire.

I was ordered in a nasty, swearing, GUN WAVING, manner by the kop to leave the site and let the FireFighters do their job.
[as a combat veteran, I do not suffer fools nor fear guns or the a$$holes that need them to bolster their ego.]
This was after I, with the help of an ex-Navy
firefighter resident of the house, unloaded the 2" tank hose and started the pumper my self. I knew I was "interfering" but the mentally incompetant, trapped man, deserved a rescue attempt. The FireFighters charged up behind me to attempt a retrieval of the hose. I had the nozzle on fog to create a mist envelope to allow me to move down the hallway to the target room. The FireFighters were pissed, but as they got into the room, training took over, they hauled the unconscious man out to the ambulance. I turned the hose over to a FireFighter and exited the structure. Then the shouting and pistol waving began. I informed the kop that there would be very serious repurcussions if he did not stop threatening me. Luckily my Wife was able to call some 'series' political influence into the situation.
I normally respect the FireFighter and the involved police at a hot site.
However in that case the FireFighters were not too concerned.
They were standing around, sipping coffee, chatting, looking around the first floor of the Boarding House and generaly totally unconcerned.

The man died in the Hospital from complications due to smoke inhalation.

There were 'issues' in this incident.

Boarding House owned by a Slumlord scofflaw.

Section 8 ocupants.

internal second floor stairway blocked with stuff, therefore inaccesable.

exterior wooden stairwqay was rickety, it was the only access to the second floor for the Boarding House inmates
[section 8 racket].

the fire was agressive, but still on the second floor and had not flashed the structure yet.

the fire originated in the room adjacent to the second floor outside entrance.

there were exploding paint cans in the origin room.

incompetance was visually evident to all the neighborhood.

my action did cause the FireFighters some embarrasment
and the kops were unnecessarily bellicose a$$holes.
[tv news crew arrived before the police or FireFighters, they had it all on video]

the FireFighters were on site for more than 8 minutes before I took action.

that incident caused me to loose all respect for the
police and FireFighters in Charlotte, NC..

I made the 911 call reporting the fire, which made me
a party to the entire event, and made me responsable for the ensuing death, I delayed too long before acting.
I still live in Charlotte and do not think the police here are any better, the FireFighters have improved somewhat.