Fighting More than Fires
“Fighting More than Fires” is a true story about the life of Miami Dade’s first African American Fire Chief, Charles Phillips. It is his autobiography, detailing his rise through the ranks of Miami –Dade Fire Department to achieve the highest honor of becoming Chief, only to be accused of the unthinkable.
“My story lays bare the details of my experiences – the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
Phillips says, “Writing this book was a 10 year gut-wrenching, soul-searching project and it was very difficult to re-live some of the unpleasant experiences I had encountered. Can you imagine working your way up the ranks from firefighter to Chief, in a major city in America, only to be publicly humiliated and forced out of office on false allegations by someone you trusted as a confidant”?
“Fighting More than Fires” is a compelling account of Chief Phillips’ fight to make it to the top and then having it all taken away two years after being sworn in. It is his story of betrayal, deception and perseverance.
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In his first book “Fighting More Than Fires”, Dr. Charles Phillips recounts the true story about his life as the first African American Fire Chief of Florida’s Miami-Dade County. This autobiography details his rise through the ranks of the Miami-Dade Fire Department to achieve the highest honor of becoming chief, only to be accused of the unthinkable. It lays bare the good, the bad, and the ugly details of his journey.
“Fighting More Than Fires” is a story of betrayal, deception, and perseverance.
It is a compelling account of Chief Phillips’ fight to make it to the top and then having it taken away only two years after being sworn in.
Excerpts from the book….
“I’m not going to sign this sh*t” (page 83-84)
When I sat down, Chief Fillmore (without saying a word) shoved a piece of paper toward me and told me to sign it. As I read the letter, I had to force myself to hold back angry tears. The department was charging me with “conduct unbecoming an officer,” and the letter stated that I was being demoted to the rank of firefighter.
I thought about my days in Fire College and all the racist crap that I had been through the past four years. I slowly scanned the faces of the people at the table, shoved the letter back to Chief Fillmore, and said: “I’m not going to sign this shit!” Their faces all turned pale. I told them that I didn’t do anything wrong, and that I had worked too hard and taken too much abuse to just give up my lieutenant’s badge. If I had to sue everyone in the room personally along with the Fire Department I was prepared to do that.
Chief Fillmore asked me to step out for a few minutes. After 20 minutes, he came out and escorted me back into the conference room. Everyone else was gone. On the table was my department I.D. and lieutenant’s badge. Chief Fillmore told me to report to my duty station for the following shift. He walked out of the room without saying anything else.
More than anything in my life, this lesson taught me to stay strong, stand up, never give up, and always fight for what I believe in.
It would be “A Cold Day in Hell” before I ever made Fire Chief. (page 100)
Chief Donaldson sent out an all stations and offices memo asking for volunteers for this recruitment team. One of the firefighters who requested to participate was Don Hess, Vice-President of the United Firefighters, an organization formed by White Firefighters for the protection of “Whites’ rights.” Hess was known throughout the department for his hatred of African-Americans and other minorities. He constantly made racist statements at the fire stations that went unchecked by his supervisors. Despite our objections, Hess was placed on the team. I immediately contacted the Fire Chief’s office to request a meeting.
During the meeting with Chief Donaldson (which included Jackie Rowe, Eddie Laden, Don Hess, and me), Hess was asked why he wanted to be on the recruitment team. He boldly responded that he wanted to make sure that the department “hires white people and not just niggers and spics.” He proudly told the fire chief that he did not like niggers or spics. Don said they did not make good firefighters.
When I strongly objected, Chief Donaldson told me that Hess had a right to express himself under the first amendment, and that he represented the views of a lot of firefighters in the department. Chief Donaldson told us that he intended to keep Hess on the recruitment team and advised Hess to “be nice to everyone.” I told Chief Donaldson that the PFA would seek outside assistance to rectify this situation. He angrily looked at me and said it would be “a cold day in hell” before I ever made Fire Chief.
“I am not your damn slave and definitely did not work on your plantation” (pages 249 – 250)
I took Deputy Chief Lee Stringer along with me to the meeting. Chief Stringer was given the responsibility of dissecting the Homeland Security proposal and noting the impact that this proposal would have on the fire department. When we walked into the conference room, to my surprise, Chief Lanza and Bob Johnson (OEM, Division Manager) were sitting at the table.
I was a little taken back, because I was under the assumption that the meeting was only going to include the manager’s office, Chief Stringer (whom Tom David had been advised would be attending), and me. I also noticed that Assistant County Manager Sam Williams was not present at the meeting. I later learned that Sam Williams was never invited.
The meeting didn’t last long. Tom David opened up the dialogue and started addressing me in a harsh tone, wanting to know what my problem with the proposal was. I took a deep breath, trying to maintain my composure, before I responded to him, I knew at that point that Tom was just trying to show me up by letting everyone in the room know that he was the boss.
