Today's post will be short. Today is the 2-year anniversary of the fire at the Sofa Super Store in which 9 of Charleston's firefighters were killled. I have so very much to say about how this tragedy was preventable in so many ways and on so many levels and how it took over a decade of purposeful mismanagement of the fire department and blatant dereliction when it came to training and safety, but I will keep them to myself and try to focus on the good that has come from this tragedy. Although those 9 families will never get their husband, father, son, uncle, nephew, cousins back, and the lives of their friends and fellow firefighters will never be the same, this event did finally shed light on what had been going on in the Charleston Fire Department for 16 years plus and things have been changing for the better since then as far as the operation of the department is concerned. Personally, people are still recovering and trying to adjust.
My thoughts and prayers turn to The Charleston 9 every day, but today I am especially reflective of the impact that June 18, 2007 has had on my life and the lives of so many people. When I think of how preventable the entire thing was, I feel angry. I have been trying to let go of that anger and trying to focus on anything positive that has come from it. Nothing I can do can change what has happened, but I can change my reaction to it and the way I think about it. Doing so helps me to find comfort and peace. I hope that the families involved and all others touched by this are able to find a little more or that peace and comfort every day.
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