As a kickoff of this weekend’s golf tournament fundraiser, the Apopka Fire Department invited a firefighter to speak about a tragic Charleston, S.C. fire that claimed the lives of nine of his colleagues. This tragedy is considered one of the most scrutinized events in national fire service history.
In front of a crowd of almost 75 people at the Apopka Community Center on Thursday, October 13, that included firefighters from other jurisdictions, Dr. David Griffin recounted how on June 18, 2007, a call that was originally dispatched as a trash fire eventually engulfed the Sofa Super Store. He was the fire engineer of the first due engine that day.
Griffin weaved through his estimated 45-minute keynote of his life story, his joining the fire service in 2005, and how the events of June 18, 2007, drove him to painkillers, liquor, and blood sports to dull his survivor’s guilt. He turned his life around and decided to use his experiences to educate others about the importance of change in what he called “old school” training and leadership.
Griffin also presented exclusive video footage with radio traffic showing a minute-by-minute account of the warehouse fire. Along the way, he pointed out the ways he and his firefighters handled the call, including their mistakes.
The biggest takeaway from his address was his emphasis on changing what he called the old school ways of firefighters’ training. He especially advised firefighters to hold each other accountable so as to improve their skills.
Griffin conducted more than three years’ worth of research on the change process following the 2007 tragedy, which he published as his best-seller, “In Honor of the Charleston 9: A Study of Change Following Tragedy.”
Proceeds from sales of this book and other items go toward the Apopka Fire Department’s Armando Borjas Jr. Scholarship Fund, which raises money for local youth who are aspiring firefighters and medical technicians.
The second annual Armando Borjas Jr. Golf Tournament, which will take place on Saturday, October 15, at 8 a.m. at Forest Lake Golf Course, will also benefit the scholarship fund.
Borjas was a 14-year AFD firefighter who died from esophageal cancer in 2013 at the age of 39.
The Apopka Chief will have the full story of this event in the October 21 issue.
