Should STATter 911 Have Run the Comments of Charleston A/Chief Larry Garvin?
For those who don’t look at our comments sections, you sometimes miss part of the story. Lately there have been firefighters who are quite upset that STATter 911 would run the comments of Charleston Assistant Chief Larry Garvin. Garvin was the incident commander at the Sofa Super Store.
With emotions raw, I fully expect that some people aren’t going to like that Chief Garvin was allowed his say. From my standpoint, with the gag order on, getting the view, right or wrong, of some of the participants, adds to the public knowledge of this tragic event.
I don’t expect everyone to agree with my reasoning. Among those who strongly disagrees with me is Jerry. Below I have reprinted what he wrote today and my responses:
My brothers, who didn’t get to mingle with you in Baltimore and impress you with tales, are simply here working to help people. You received information from people opposed to change. Despite you being a reporter as a onetime fireman I thought you’d avoid giving Garvin a frontpage twice. I’m sure you have firefighters who read your blog but from a proud firefighter born and raised in McLean, Virginia and for my dad, a member of the DCFD, I’ll never visit again. My dad and I talk nightly about this. You have no idea and you put garvin up front like he’s a hero. We in Charleston know different.
Part 2 from Jerry:
Having grown up in McLean and having two family members on DCFD, I’m shocked that you are potraying Garvin like a sad figure. I’m on the Charleston Fire Department and to see him paraded by you is an affront to my nine brothers who dies. You can play the reporter thing but you also say you are an ex firefighter. Well, see how many brothers talk to you in a week.
Dave’s reponse:
Hi Jerry,
Thank you for your comments.
Let me make sure I understand them. Because I allow Larry Garvin to have his say, right thinking firefighters shouldn’t look at STATter 911.
While it is your duty to fight fire and save lives, it is my duty to make sure that all sides are given a chance to be heard.
There have been scores of articles and comments on STATter 911 that have pointed the finger at Chief Garvin. In fact, many of the issues now being brought up by The Post and Courier and on Jay Lowry’s sight were first identified publicly by me in the days immediately following the tragedy.
For the record, there is only one entry on Garvin. What you are looking at today is SOP for STATter 911. I create a digest of recent stories we have reported on and other stories around the world. I have done the same for all the Firefighter Hourly stories we run and the Charleston paper stories (in fact I tease their thermal imaging story just below the Garvin link).
Whether he is right or wrong, I think it is important for every firefighter to hear the words of the man who was in charge during those fateful minutes when 9 lives were lost.
If you think I would or should censor that, you are correct STATter 911 may not be your cup of tea.
But, of course, you and your ideas are always welcome here.
Thanks.
Dave Statter
Part 2 from Dave:
Also Jerry, let me direct you to my analysis of the Charleston situation as we knew it 10 days after the deaths at the Sofa Super Store.
http://www.wusa9.com/news/columnist/blogs/2007/06/charleston-union-calls-for-changes-fire.html
What I have tried, and in your opinion have apparently failed to do, is shed some light on the very issues I summarized on June 28th.
If I am to do this, and ignore what one of the key participants has to say, I am failing to do my job and the readers are being short changed.
That doesn’t mean STATter 911 endorses Chief Garvin’s or anyone else’s view of what happened.
Hope this helps.
Statter
