Former Philadelphia Fire Commissioner William Richmond dies

William C. Richmond, 86, who was Philadelphia's fire commissioner during the 1985 MOVE bombing, died Monday, June 25, of complications from a stroke at his home in Bucks County.

Mr. Richmond, a former resident of Rhawnhurst, was a Korean War veteran and served as a Philadelphia police officer for two years before beginning a 28-year career at the Fire Department, rising from firefighter to commissioner, a position he held from 1984 to 1988.

"Commissioner Richmond was an outstanding public servant who was dedicated first and foremost to the safety of Philadelphia residents," Mayor Kenney said in a statement. "He devoted his entire career to serving others, whether it was in the Fire Department and Police Department here in Philadelphia, or overseas in the Korean War. I'm deeply saddened to hear of his passing, but thankful for his strong record of service to our city."

The Fire Department on Wednesday released a history of Mr. Richmond's tenure, noting that computer-aided dispatch was added to fire communications and mandatory smoke detector legislation was enacted for private dwellings in the city. He also helped develop the polycarbonate helmet that was adopted in most firehouses nationwide.

Mr. Richmond was fire commissioner during the May 1985 siege of the fortified MOVE compound on Osage Avenue that ended after officials dropped a satchel bomb on a rooftop bunker, sparking a fire that killed 11 people in the house, including MOVE founder John Africa and five children, and destroyed 61 homes.

The MOVE Commission faulted Mr. Richmond and then Police Commissioner Gregore J. Sambor for allowing the fire started by the bomb to burn.

"The hasty, reckless and irresponsible decision by the police commissioner and the fire commissioner to use the fire as a tactical weapon was unconscionable," the panel said.

The day after the fire, Mr. Richmond defended his decision not to move firefighters close to the burning homes before the blaze gained headway, saying he feared they would be shot.

"When the fire started to move, there were shots fired and the firefighters backed down from defensive positions," he said. "Firefighters are not supposed to be police officers. If it's a decision between my people and my property, I tell you I'm going to protect my people."

In a 2010 interview with the Daily News, he said he was haunted by the deaths of the children in the fire.

"The adults made an obvious decision that day; the children did not," Mr Richmond said. "No question it was a tragic event, and it didn't turn out the way anybody wanted it to turn out."

Looking back, he said, many mistakes were made that day.

Read More > > > Former Fire Commissioner remembers noncommunication

"It was certainly not a textbook case," he said. "I've always been one to share my successes and failures. The Fire Department's goal was never to go out and come away with the tragedy that we did."

Richard Maloney, a former reporter for KYW Newsradio, knew Mr. Richmond as a soft-spoken man with a warm, easy manner who put the safety of firefighters first.

"He was a calm, professional, no-nonsense leader who was adored by his fellow firefighters," Maloney said.

Maloney said the dropping of the bomb on the MOVE compound followed a grueling day of nearly nonstop gunfire between police and MOVE.

When the bomb started a fire that engulfed many homes on Osage, protocol called for police to determine when it was safe for firefighters to actively battle the blaze.

The decision to "let the fire burn" remains hazy, Maloney said. "The scene of the tragedy was so chaotic that the full facts of its management will never be known."

"In following years, he often said to me that at daily Mass he always prayed for the souls of those who died, especially the five innocent children. The deaths of the children lingered in his heart."

Born in Frankford, Mr. Richmond left Frankford High School in 1949 to join the Army, and later earned his GED. He completed an associate degree in fire engineering at Community College of Philadelphia.

In 1965, he married Elsie Jane Murphy, known to friends as "E.J.," a worker's compensation-clinic nurse at the former Philadelphia General Hospital. The two met while she was working an extra shift at the hospital's Police and Firemen's Ward.

Although Mr. Richmond walked into the ward seeking treatment for a broken toe, he liked to say he was unconscious on a stretcher. "He told that story for 50 years," his wife said.

After stepping down as fire commissioner in September 1988, he worked as a fire consultant.

He also wrote a book, What I've Learned, Thoughts From a Fire Chief, offering his views on leadership, management, training and operations gleaned from his years in the Fire Department.

In his spare time, he repaired timepieces. "Every fireman who had a watch or antique clock that needed to be fixed was hanging on our wall," his wife said.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Richmond is survived by a daughter, Kelly O'Brien.

A viewing will be from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 29, and 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Saturday, June 30, at St. Ephrem Church, 5400 Hulmeville Rd., Bensalem. An 11 a.m. Funeral Mass will follow Saturday at the church. Burial will be in Forest Hills Memorial Park, Huntingdon Valley.