Clearing the building of people is one of the most basic and important duties of firefighters and firefighter leadership when arriving at a fire scene.

In reviewing all significant fire calls since 2008, The Sub fire stands out as the only fire with no mention by any firefighter in any after-action narrative of checking for occupants immediately upon their arrival or at any time thereafter!

NO firefighter checked to see if The Sub was empty of people!

NO firefighter narrative mentions or claims credit for clearing The Sub building!

All staff at The Sub and Square Deal Recordings & Supplies (SDRS) have testified that no firefighter asked any of them about people still in The Sub or Square Deal at any time during the fire.

Did San Luis Obispo City Fire Department leadership fail to see if anyone was in The Sub or did they communicate with the off-duty firefighter (suspected arsonist) who disappeared after effectively clearing both of the buildings at the very start of the fire?

When the off-duty firefighter (who we believe was the arsonist) came into Square Deal, he was talking on a cell phone. We believe he was NOT talking to 911 because, at the time he was on the phone, it was before the first call on the 911 time logs we obtained. Who was he talking with?

No official firefighter checked at the beginning of the fire to see if Square Deal was cleared of people.

NO firefighter narrative mentions or claims credit for clearing The Sub building!

How did SLO City FD leadership know there were no people in the building unless someone spoke with the fellow (who identified himself as an "off-duty firefighter") and who we believe started the fire?

No firefighter narrative mentions or claims credit for clearing SDRS.

At approximately 2:30pm, Jose Nunez' relatives called SLO City FD to see if Jose was okay. Because SLO City FD did not clear the building or talk to staff standing out front of the fire, they did not know of his location and for about an hour were extremely concerned. (Jose was standing out front the whole time.) This speaks volumes to the fact that the building was never cleared of people.

Why did SLO City FD leadership fail to clear the building?

Why didn't firefighters ask staff (who were in front of The Sub) any of the following questions?

• Are all employees, customers, and tenants accounted for?
• How did you become aware of the fire?
• Do you know how the fire started?
• Besides the fire in the display windows, are you aware of any other fire in or around the structure?
• Was there any fire, smoke, or other indication of fire before you vacated the building?

Basic information needed to make informed decisions — SLO City FD did not ask any of these questions and the firefighters who talked to Jose's sister and brother would have already known Jose was all right but they never asked!

These questions were not ever asked during the fire and most were not asked after the fire.

What is the significance when a Fire Department does or does not assign R.I.C./F.A.S.T. personnel during a fire?

R.I.C./F.A.S.T. = A fireman's best friend when firefighting. A R.I.C./F.A.S.T. are two or more firefighters whose sole duty is to wait outside an entrance that firefighters have used to go inside and fight a fire – Their job is to be ready to instantly rush in and assist if any firemen inside have a difficulty or an emergency. In the "two in – two out" firefighting rule they are usually the two assigned to wait outside to back up the two men (or more) inside.

Fact #1:

Unless R.I.C./F.A.S.T. personnel are assigned there can be NO interior firefighting!!!

Fact #2:

During The Sub and Square Deal Recordings & Supplies 12-hour long fire, NO R.I.C./F.A.S.T. personnel were ever assigned by BC-1 Neal Berryman or Chief Garret Olson.

Fact #3:

THIS MEANS NO FIREFIGHTER EVER WENT INSIDE TO PUT WATER ON THE FIRE OR ACTUALLY FIGHT THE FIRE!

Fact #4:

This means Chief Olson was intentionally lying to mislead when he said SLO City FD went into both The Sub and Square Deal and actually fought our fire. It also means the stories of valor he told to the media were also made up and false.

Fact #5:

There is no doubt, nor room for doubt, that Chief Olson is willing to lie in the ordinary conduct of his duties to claim heroism not deserved and to hide cowardice and incompetence that should disqualify him from the job.

In conclusion:

If SLO City FD was a "real" Fire Department, they would have just put The Sub fire out once the window box fire was out. Instead, they deliberately and methodically burned The Sub and then they moved the fire into Square Deal and destroyed it with intentionally set backfire. Both buildings could and should have easily and safely been saved. Square Deal should never have been involved!