CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It's considered one of the worst fires in Charlotte's history. The flames in South Park on May 18, 2023 quickly spread out of control and reached temperatures above 2,000 degrees, killing two trapped construction workers and forcing firefighters to rescue some of their own.
In the aftermath of that five-alarm fire, WCNC Charlotte heard a common theme: Charlotte Fire Chief Reginald Johnson was there that morning but did not take command of the scene.
THE QUESTION
Did the city's top firefighter, the highest paid in the department at nearly $220,000 a year, take control of the South Park fire at any point?
THE ANSWER
No, the city's top firefighter did not take control of the South Park fire at any point. WCNC Charlotte learned this is not unusual for fire departments in larger cities. However, during a 2021 deposition, the chief himself conceded he never served as an incident commander for any multiple alarm fires during his 25-year career at his former job in Virginia.
THE SOURCES
- Charlotte Fire Department
- Charlotte Fire Fighters Association
- Former San Francisco Bay Area Battalion Chief Mark Neveau
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
WHAT WE FOUND
According to Ready.gov, an incident commander is in charge of an organization's on-scene response to a major event. In that role, they're responsible for safety, operations, planning and much more.
During an end-of-day news conference on May 19, Chief Johnson praised his subordinate for ultimately taking command of the South Park fire the prior day.
"We have some experienced incident commanders," Chief Johnson said. "Our operations chief actually ended up taking command during that fire. He's number two."
The deputy chief wasn't the only incident commander though. CFD shared the names of four subordinate chiefs in all and a captain who took command during the fire. None of them, the actual fire chief.
"The Fire Chief Johnson did not opt out of taking command," a fire department spokesperson told WCNC Charlotte over email. "He trusted and had confidence that the people in place could effectively manage the incident. Therefore, this is why those people have been placed and promoted into those positions."
Mark Neveau is a former battalion chief and FEMA federal coordinating officer.
"It's not uncommon in larger cities to not have that chief command, but rather support the subordinate officers in what they need to manage that disaster," Neveau told WCNC Charlotte. "What's important as a fire chief is that they have enough background and experience to understand what's necessary for their subordinate officers to be successful, so they do have to have some fire experience or emergency management experience."
Before the City of Charlotte hired Johnson as chief in 2018, he worked in Fairfax County, Virginia, ultimately retiring as assistant chief of operations “after 25 years of successful service,” according to CFD.
While records provided by CFD show Chief Johnson secured advanced FEMA incident command training during his time in Virginia, a January 2021 court deposition revealed he was not the incident commander on any multiple alarm fires during his more than two decades there, but rather the senior advisor for a handful of multiple alarm fires.
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The same deposition shows, while he served as battalion chief at the same agency over the nearly three years prior, he served as incident commander on "more than one" (single alarm) fires, but could not recall a specific number.
The higher the alarm, the more personnel and equipment are needed to fight the fire. A four-alarm fire is considered a major fire event.
"That's pretty alarming," Charlotte Fire Fighters Association President Tom Brewer said.
Just last year, the association issued a vote of no confidence for the chief and city manager. Brewer said he'd expect a chief to have more experience than what Chief Johnson described in the deposition.
"The reason that experience and that lack of experience would be troubling is because you can learn some through books and through reading and through education, but there's nothing like real-world experience," Brewer said. "You need to be able to draw from the experience that you've had."
The fire fighters association and Neveau have both called for an external investigation to review the city's response to the South Park fire.
The City of Charlotte's hiring pamphlet, used in 2017 to fill the fire chief position, said the city was seeking "demonstrated accomplishments, including major incident command."
In an email, the city told us "major incident command" was not listed as a job requirement, but rather "one of the aspects-among many others-that was considered." The city said the same brochure also stated the city would give serious consideration to qualified candidates with other qualities and noted, "The review and evaluation of qualifications will be at the discretion of the City Manager and will be based on the most appropriate combination of experience and education that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position and that fits the needs of the City of Charlotte.”
The city went on to list several of CFD's accomplishments under the chief's leadership, including demonstrating "on multiple occasions it’s excellence and proficiency responding to and managing large-scale events."
"When Chief Johnson was hired it was the culmination of a national search and all candidates were vetted by a national search firm," City Manager Marcus Jones said in a statement. "A panel of the city’s senior leaders were part of the interview and hiring process for the final candidates and among all the highly qualified people that were considered, Chief Johnson stood out. His track record since joining the city has validated that decision and the Charlotte Fire Department continues to be one of the best fire departments in the country."
In response to WCNC Charlotte's questions, CFD also reminded the public the city selected the chief after a nationwide search.
"The City of Charlotte ran a competitive process, Fire Chief Johnson met the requirements, and he was chosen as the best candidate for the job," CFD said.
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