Fire chief's conduct during Graniteville disaster was above-board

I am hesitant in responding to the slanderous column by Mike Hunt ("People, not personalities, is what public safety should be all about," Dec. 29). I have not and will not read his letter. I do not read trash.

When I served on the Aiken County Council and disagreed with someone, I always tried to meet with the individual to discuss the problem. You do not solve problems by fighting them in the press. Hunt apparently has his political aspirations at heart, and is hoping for good press and the spotlight.

Many issues I will discuss are based on information from friends who read Hunt's column.

In the early morning hours of Jan. 6, 2005, I received a call of a train wreck in Graniteville. I rushed out unknowing of the chemical leak. I drove directly into the green cloud of chlorine and went immediately into respiratory distress. By God's grace, I escaped the cloud.

When I came to, I called for help from Savannah River Site Hazmat, Aiken City and Fort Gordon Hazmat. I also called for immediate evacuation of the surrounding area. I do not know who stopped that order, ask Hunt. this someone issued this same order several hours later. That delay could have resulted in hundreds of deaths.

I set up an incident command as federally required. I then asked David Ruth, coordinator of the Aiken County Division of Emergency Management to set up a decontamination site at the University of South Carolina Aiken, across from Aiken Regional Medical Centers. He said he was setting up at Kent's Corner, a smaller location farther from the hospital. This was a no-brainer as to the best site.

I asked Augusta Fire Chief Bubba Willis and Rudy Denkins of the SRS Fire Department to be responsible for hazmat operations. Ruth protested vehemently that decision. That is when I asked Aiken County Emergency Services Director Rick Powell to remove Ruth from the staging area. It was no longstanding personal conflict, as Hunt wrote.

Concerning the incident command center, I had no problem moving to the old Kmart location when it was apparent that the wind direction was changing. I certainly did not want another dose of chlorine gas. One was enough for a lifetime.

Comments made by Hunt concerning my stocking the Graniteville-Vaucluse-Warrenville Fire Department with Homeland Security supplies are hideous. A representative of Homeland Security came to me, not Hunt, to inform me that equipment was available. I told him to make sure the door was locked on the truck until we set up a logistics man responsible, because some would treat themselves to a Wal-Mart shopping spree. I never saw the equipment in the truck.

I later asked that a John Deere Gator utility vehicle be delivered to the Honda Cars of Aiken location to assist in transporting equipment. When asking, I was harshly told by a state official that the sheriff had already received one, and that we could use his. I spoke with state Reps. Skipper Perry and Roland Smith and informed them of this encounter. Rep. Perry spoke with the governor's office. We had no further problems with equipment. We still have the equipment and will take it anywhere that it is needed. Why should we give it to Hunt and his committee - consisting of Hunt; Aiken Director of Public Safety Peter Frommer; North Augusta Director of Public Safety Lee Wetherington; and Powell of Emergency Services? What a stacked deck. It would be interesting to see a list of what Hunt received from Homeland Security during the crisis.

Hunt also criticized me for not wanting to send people back home after several agencies approved. I stood firm then, and I would today. Until all the chlorine cars were pumped off and there was no chance of further release, I was against sending people back into possibly a valley of death. Nine lives too many were snuffed by this accident, and we did not need to chance others dying because of haste in returning people to their homes.

Hunt said that I asked for the removal of Wetherington, Aiken County Sheriff's Lt. Michael Frank, and Sheriff's Capt. Barney Eagerton. Untrue; Wetherington and I disagreed on searching the mills in Graniteville, since Avondale had accounted for all employees.

I said the mills needed to be searched if someone other than an employee may have entered seeking refuge from the chlorine - no harsh words.

Frank and I disagreed on press releases. Many performing the dangerous work in Graniteville said that press releases implied the sheriff's department was doing everything. There was no mention of fire, EMS or hazmat personnel. I told him that I would be participating in the press briefings. Frank stormed off to inform Hunt.

I met with people, including Hunt, in a command center tent. Hunt stood on a chair and launched into a tirade using profanities. He stated he was in charge, as the county's highest elected official, and that he had to get re-elected. A U.S. marshal informed Hunt that, according to federal law, I was in charge.

The accusation that I said GVW has "hit the Norfolk Southern lottery" was not exactly true. A U.S. marshal made the statement that Graniteville and GVW had hit the Norfolk Southern lottery. I may have been guilty of repeating the words uttered by others.

Hunt also made a comment concerning the erecting of victims monument being admirable, but that the completion of the project should be turned over to historical societies and the Aiken County Council. That is out of the question. The monument has been ordered. Also, the Horse Creek Historical Society has made the largest contribution to date. We also have contributions from the county council and state Rep. Roland Smith.

If you want to know how I worked with people during the crisis, ask Chief Willis of the Augusta Fire Department; William Schoonover of the Federal Railroad Administration; C.J. Wehrmeister of Norfolk Southern; Richard Downs of the National Transportation Safety Board; Kevin Misenheimer of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; or South Carolina Fire Marshal Michael D. Platt. The truth is out there.

I was the one crying for those who died and our town. I have and will continue to serve the people of our community, and will not let the good-ol'-boys or political crookedness influence me in any manner. I will continue to stand firm on strong Christian beliefs and do what I think is right. A politician's mouth is not a prayer book.

Editor's note: The writer has been GVW's fire chief since 1981.)