After the deaths of three firefighters, the fire chief of Baltimore steps down

Niles Ford had been Baltimore’s fire chief for the past eight years. On Friday, he quit after a city report about the deaths of three firefighters in January 2022 came out.

In a statement that went with the report, Mayor Brandon Scott said that he accepted Ford’s resignation to “position (the Baltimore City Fire Department) for the necessary changes that are upon us.” His resignation went into effect right away.

Scott: “I’d like to thank Mr. Ford for leading the city’s fire department for eight years.”

The report that came out on Friday looked at the city’s role in the deaths of Lt. Paul Butrim, Lt. Kelsey Sadler, and EMT/firefighter Kenny Lacayo. All three died when a vacant house in the 200 block of South Stricker Street collapsed as they fought a fire from inside, according to the Baltimore Sun.

The study was done by a group of firefighters from the fire departments in Baltimore, Prince George’s County, Howard County, and the District of Columbia.

According to the Sun, the 182-page report found that there is a “sense of rivalry and competitive culture” in the city’s fire department, which is a problem. However, the report did not say that this culture was to blame for the deaths.

Scott told the Sun, “There are some things that are still there that I just can’t accept.” “This is about moving on and turning a new page,” she said.

Scott named a group of Baltimore fire commanders to act as interim chief in his statement. There are three assistant chiefs in the group: Charles Svehla, Chris Caisse, and Dante Stewart.

Read the full report here.