Charleston's top-rated fire department has been seeing a facelift with the chief fighting for his job since the June 18 warehouse fire that killed nine of its firefighters.

Several studies have been made into the Sofa Superstore fire, and all point to the need for sweeping changes in how the fire department operates.

Probably the biggest finding in all these studies is the one that really hasn't been mentioned, and that everyone's missing so far -- that the territorial, I'm-better-than-average thinking that you find in all government entities and bureaucracies has no place in the real world.

It makes no difference how good you are, and it certainly doesn't matter how good you think you are, you can always get better. And when nine firefighters dies in what started out as a trash fire, all this talk about how good you are means nothing. There's no way in hell that you can even point to your track record after something like that. Such an incident turns the comparison game upside-down -- the standings may say you're at the top of your field, but does that mean you do the job well, or that you don't suck? Or possibly both? Where do you draw the line?

But that's enough of that, for the moment. There are plenty of repercussions, right now. The department is undergoing major reorganization, and many are screaming for the head of Chief Rusty Thomas. When asked about his take on the fire department after a particularly scathing independent report that said the department was tradition-bound and dissention is quashed, Mayor Joe Riley said today things are fine. "To me it says that we have a very good fire department. We were meeting standards and requirements but there are opportunities for the achievement of national-best practices."

The report came with some 200 recommendations from increasing manpower and upgrading equipment to "Spread leadership among department commanders and encourage rank-and-file firefighters to participate in decision-making and feel free to offer critical opinions." Riley says he will recommend that all these steps be implemented.

Riley has taken his share of hits since the fire, partly because Thomas is his handpicked fire chief, but also because, in some ways, the leadership structure with the department is said to be a mirror image of leadership at City Hall. Riley's up for reelection this month, and the feeling in the community is that if it wasn't for the usual gang of tomato cans and other unknown candidates that seem to face him in every election, his job would likewise be in danger.

As Riley announced the report's findings Wednesday, Chief Thomas stood at his side. Thomas later said he needs "help from everybody" to see the department through its changes. "I felt like our department took ownership of the fire department, It was the beginning of a new day for Rusty Thomas and the Charleston Fire Department."

A fairly new blog, called Firefighter Hourly, has been pointing out some of the leadership gaps shown by the Charleston department. This blog, written by former firefighter and fire marshal Jay Lowry, has its roots in Charleston and in New York City, where 343 firefighters lost their lives in the World Trade Center attacks. It's interesting that Thursday's issue of Lowry's blog carries a quote from retired San Francisco firefighter Tom Spanne: " 'Good enough' will get you killed on this job. Remember: The mediocre are always at their best."

Tom Spanne could very well have written this column, too.

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The Charleston Nine, just so you don't forget:

- Brad Baity, 37. Nine years on the job.

- Mike Benke, 49. With the department for 29 years.

- Melvin Champaign, 46. A relative newcomer; two years with the department.

- James "Earl" Drayton, 56. From Station 19, a 32-year veteran with the fire department, retired several times and came

- Michael French, 27.

- Capt. William "Billy" Hutchinson, 48. With the department 30 years.

- Mark Kelsey, 40. A 12-year veteran.

- Capt. Louis Mulkey, 34. A firefighter for 11 years.

- Brandon Thompson, 27. With the Charleston department for four years, but something of a "young veteran" - helping out fire crews as a volunteer since he was 14 and was a captain with the Pine Ridge fire agency.