The South Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has dropped fines and citations against the North Charleston Fire Department in relation to a fire that injured three firefighters.
The Post and Courier (http://bit.ly/MK48z3) reports that the state agency had originally cited the department for failing to adequately monitor firefighters’ whereabouts during the July 2010 fire and for not having enough personnel in case of an emergency on the fireground.
The city responded by maintaining that OSHA overstepped its authority and was trying to enforce regulations that the state never formally adopted or notified fire departments to follow.
In a deal for dropping the citations, the fire department must create a written policy for critiquing fire responses and getting feedback forms from firefighters on performance issues. The department will also host a visit from fire officials from other agencies to monitor its accountability system.
Read more about the case at http://bit.ly/MK48z3.
