 Good morning We are gathered here as a collective group of city and county leadership To show our support for Chief Aubrey Jenkins and also the hard working Leadership of our fire department We are here today as community leaders and Of course community leaders throughout this city Has genuinely authentically supported Chief Aubrey Jenkins The last few weeks have been very very difficult in the life of this city for all of us For all of us who have Looked at this city in a very inclusive way Have looked at this city to say we continue to expand and grow ourselves Many of us are here today Not because of what you've heard of the rumors that have been dispelled But you're here today to support this man who gives of himself his time his talents and his gifts We are asking everyone in this city of ours and I think you know as well as I and members of this council and members gathered around This DS today That we are an inclusive community undergirded with the true sense of support We understand that a full investigation is still underway So why clamor in rumors and misinformation? If anything Let us be genuine as we embrace The totality of inclusiveness and embrace the whole notion of Support is very Very necessary Look at these firemen these firemen and women Who runs? To the fire and not away from it But they are running towards that realization Realization that support is needed Please let me reiterate this fact Until a full investigation is done We've heard We've sensitized ourselves and we are ready now to lend wholeheartedly our support actually Enough is enough Until the full picture is drawn. I Want to welcome now chief Skip Holbrook our chief of police Thank You Reverend McDowell This is Difficult for me. I don't know that I've never experienced an attack on a Decorated colleague Like I witnessed just a couple days ago when I received a copy of this press releasing the intentions of Talking about a just a tragedy that occurred in our city a few weeks ago And I want to talk a little bit about that about that letter Where that release You know, it was it was authored by some people that I don't know And I certainly know we're not present at that fire And we're not part of that fire investigation that occurred after the fire And let's talk about the fire investigation and what chief Jenkins did and how he led that so the day of that fire there was a co-response to the fire Based on an existing agreement between the clumbly original fire department and a neighboring agency with Irma Fire fires arrived on the scene About 413 in the afternoon Or excuse me, they were dispatched about 413 and they arrived just three minutes later and then immediately begin Initiating suppression operations and rescue operations And of course, we know that during the time that they were fighting that fire several firemen were injured and we had a fireman it was Killed during the firefighting activity a response by local state and federal law enforcement assets that have subject matter expertise and fire investigations and I was on scene as well and While the fire was still being worked. I had a conversation with chief Jenkins and he expressed his desire that we had a very aggressive multi-agency approach to Investigating the fire in the origin and cause of the fire And he immediately initiated that while that scene was still hot As I said upon that request we had local state and federal authorities on the ground and 24 hours later we had an unprecedented Request by the fire chief again To activate the national response team and That was immediately done and within 24 hours of that we had national response team Investigators on the ground In my over 30 years in law enforcement. This was the most comprehensive response To an investigation that I've been a part of We we met multiple times every single day Collectively as leadership and we made decisions collectively We always had consensus and I saw everybody Working as a one team They checked their egos at the door. Nobody had an agenda. The agenda was as directed by our fire chief Get to the bottom of this The reason law enforcement was involved was we wanted to make we had a fire fatality and we wanted to make sure that we Either proved or eliminated any criminal intent Within a few days of working the scene the fire experts the subject matter experts That were part of each of the participating agencies. They reached a conclusion a preliminary conclusion of the origin and cause As we briefed his leadership It was decided collectively and unanimously that Chief Jenkins would in fact be the person that would talk about that if the appropriate time and that It certainly was his prerogative to release some preliminary findings, which he did And those preliminary findings were accurate and they remain accurate based on the information that has been Determined by investigators to date That that origin and cause was Accidental at this point and it originated at a stove The national response team will issue a written final report within the next couple weeks and And again as of today nothing has changed in that origin and cause the the letter that I read wrote that I read It misrepresented what I just stated Co-response to the fire to fight the fire based on agreements that have been in place for years and Immediate request by the fire chief for appropriate access to do an investigation of the origin and cause of the fire Now, let me address leadership That's my fire chief he's Everybody knows him. He's honest. It's a day is long. I've participated in executive staff meetings with him where he Tirelessly advocates for the men and women of the Columbia original fire department He has served with distinction for decades with this agency serve this city and And It disgusts me that anybody Would question that With any critical incident There's review and from the very beginning He has not shied away from that We have the response the criminal slash fire investigation origin and cause and then you have critical incident reviews the sheriff and I Took part in a very critical review of how we handled riots and civil unrest and We acknowledge mistakes and we took corrective action. So we wouldn't make those mistakes again That's what leaders do if the mistakes made you own it you correct it and you move on And you have the courage to ask for those reviews and I know you know the fire department is renowned for incident command and doing after-action reviews and learning learning if it was a way they can do something better and It is disingenuous For anybody to suggest that there's any other agenda other than doing what's right and seeking the truth and it's insulting that Anybody that has not been on that line In that trench on that ladder that was suggesting anything otherwise Thank you. Good morning I'm the city manager Teresa Wilson and What you just heard are the facts of the situation The facts that have occurred ever since the tragic events that occurred that resulted in a line of duty death That we are all Heartbroken about but now isn't the time to point fingers to find blame To even give any credence and I'm just going to shoot it straight to some rogue outside group Who's running in the town of the paid dues of some? Supposed organization that Lends itself to come into town and pray on communities to misinform first of all as The chief said never lay to foot to my knowledge or picked up a hose or anything else on the day of the incident but yet come here and Conflate issues and point blame Now that's about all the attention. I'm going to give to that The chief is already given the facts of the investigation the arrogance and disrespect the attempt to agitate community and Misinformed people is the reason why we're standing here one of the reasons But the overarching reason is to show support for a man who's given over 44 years to serve this community and most recently in a very Long and hard-fought budget process that happens every year this time He and the command staff and members of the battalions that are standing with him today Thought above and beyond to be creative to begin to further address Some of the other issues that departments all over this country are facing like short staffing resources Facilities needs and we did that Members of city and county council Expect me and the county administrator who I know would be standing here with us to if he could to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars They budgeted it for and have allocated over an additional one and a half million dollars each To begin to address some of those needs from a staffing perspective to pay our firefighters more Over $10,000 more as a starting firefighter will be has been approved in the proposed pay plan a Step play plan that allows these firefighters who want to be career professionals To succeed and see how they can grow their careers and support their families Over time if they choose to stay These are the discussions that have been happening these are the Issues that fire chief Jenkins and his team have been advocating for and it been quite successful so to say When I see some misinformed Disrespectful arrogant pressure lease come out on the very day That our city council and I'm sure county council members as well are doing the work the real work to make real change was so very disappointing so very disrespectful and So very unnecessary to come into town When communities are at their most vulnerable during a line of duty death and everything that is involved with that We don't fear We welcome the investigative process Let it continue. It's a process and whatever comes with it We're here to address those things Make any changes if there are any that need to be made nobody is shying away from that but it's a process and Unfortunately when such groups pray on The very employees That we're trying to serve because the taxpayers expect certain service delivery and they expect accountability and they expect That I as a manager hold my employees accountable To do the things they're supposed to do and when I decide that in the midst of all this There's confusion and I'm gonna address the confusion with employees. It's a shame that certain people decide to hide behind Social media platforms. I'm not on social media. So if you have something to say Stand up and be about it and say it and I'm speaking directly to These agitators and speaking even to members in our own department who decide that they're gonna have these separate associations to supposedly address issues Now I will say these associations they are and you know, I you know the fire culture has this We're not a union state, but you know, even in South Carolina. They're these associations who work within the department If you're gonna do that Sit out and talk about things ahead of time It's okay. We're not afraid to have conversations but don't hide behind people and Definitely don't get in my lane because we've coexisted really well over the last few years when you have Worked as associations because you stayed out of the lane of governance of budgets Of staffing issues and the like when we as Professionals are trying to work through those things and get funding and and be true to what our citizens are asking for That's what's been happening up here with city and county council members. They've been doing the work They've approved the budgets So when you decide to coincide and co-mingle these dismiss information with that Otherwise, I'm usually pretty behind the scenes and quiet but when you do that You're gonna hear from me and they did hear from me this week about it so anyone in the organization who is is Uncomfortable or feel some kind of way. So do I And very pointedly we will hold you accountable for your actions Don't hide behind social media It's not necessary You've got a problem let's put it on the table and address it in the right way But do not misinform this community and most importantly do not step on the legacy of your leader 44 years in counting We're just up here to give the facts sheriff lot says that all the time and he delivers a press conference If you want the facts of things then that's what we're giving you the truth. We're standing in our truth And whatever else comes with it let the chips fall where they may nobody's scared of that because we've been handling things just According to the plan following the protocols and the processes and that's not gonna change I don't care who swoops into town and they can swoop right back out You know these three gentlemen Chief Holbrook chief Jenkins Sheriff Lide I call them the three musketeers all the time Sometimes they let me be their fourth. I Trust them with my life and I trust them With the lives of the team members that they lead period in the story We appreciate the support being given a chief Jenkins. He deserves it. He deserves it a Life well lived a Public servant is doing his best So don't get in my way about it Thanks enough Is enough? We have law enforcement sheriff lot Chief Holbrook We have communities around the city that have called in to say We support chief Jenkins We have school board commissioners Aaron Bishop our own members of city council members of county council that are here and we also Also have with us chairman Overture Walker Isn't it great? This is not just a one man or one woman This is an inclusive fellowship who understands what support and Supporting this chief is all about we have presidents here with us today So we're not by ourselves The worst thing that can happen in a city is for persons to share miss information Thank you all for being here today Thank you all for being a vital part of this community and thank you chief Jenkins For being who you are You