One Year Later: Salisbury Remembers Fallen Firefighters

A day of remberance in the city of Salisbury, as a community remembers two firefighters killed in the line of duty. One year ago Saturday a fire broke out at the Salisbury Lumber and Supply Building.

Victor Isler and Justin Monroe died after fighting the fire. Fire Chief Bob Parnell said both fallen firefighters were part of the hose team that was first to respond to the blaze along with five other crews.

Isler, 40, was a veteran firefighter who also worked as an EMT at ground zero after Sept. 11, 2001. Monroe, 19, worked as a junior firefighter, starting at the age of 14. Chief Parnell recalled Monroe saying fighting fires was his calling. Thousands of people from across the country came to their memorials in order to pay their respects.

Hundreds came out Saturday morning to memorialize the two men, many of them firefighters. The memorial at the Salisbury Firefighter Memorial started at 8:45 a.m.. The department had a moment of silence at 9:06 a.m., to makr the time of their deaths. At 2:30 p.m., there is a public service at Miller’s Ferry Fire Department in Salisbury.

Chief Parnell used the morning to remember all the good the two men did while serving their city. "Victor and Justin have and will continue to be heroes to their community. They made the supreme sacrifice while fighting a fire. What higher action can a man do," said Chief Parnell.

Two other Salisbury firefighters were hurt in the massive blaze. Three other firefighters from the Locke Township Fire Department were also injured.

The North Carolina Department of Labor released a report back in August that found serious violations in the Salisbury Fire Department.

The investigation found major issues with the breathing equipment that firefighters count on to stay alive. It also states the firefighters did not follow proper procedure by having two firefighters together at all times.

The report found some of the firefighters’ radios were not working. It cited four different times when a firefighter went off on his own and didn't have radio or visual contact with anyone else. Proper procedure requires at least two firefighters to always be together. Salisbury was hit with three serious violations and a fine of more than $6,500.

Eyewitness News also got a report back in November that showed firefighters trapped inside the burning building made 19 unsuccessful radio calls to outside crews. According to reports, the trapped firefighters finally got a mayday radio transmission to go through and help was sent in. The fire chief asked the city council to buy 66 new radios with advanced technology to make sure problems don’t happen again.