THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 24, 1995 TAG: 9502230132
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JO-ANN CLEGG, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
``I'VE BEEN FIGHTING fires in this city for a long time,'' Virginia Beach Fire Department District Chief Paul J. Pokorski said as he sat munching on sandwiches and salads at a large round table in the conference room of the TAF Group last week. ``But this is the first time that I can remember anyone inviting us over for lunch afterward.''
The occasion was the architectural, engineering and construction firm's way of saying thank you to the firefighters who had fought a major blaze at the company's Landmark Square headquarters several weeks earlier.
The fire, which started in the early morning hours of Jan. 6, might well have totally destroyed TAF Group's corporate headquarters if it hadn't been for two things: quick reporting of the blaze by passerby who spotted it from the Virginia Beach/Norfolk Expressway and the superb response of the `A' shifts from fire companies 3, 16 and 20.
``I don't remember a single one of you from the day of the fire,'' TAF president Oliver Farinholt said as he presented plaques and commendations to representatives of each company, ``but I want to personally thank every one of you for what you did.''
That Farinholt did not immediately recognize the firefighters is not surprising. He and his wife, Rachel, a TAF project manager, had last seen them shortly after being awakened with the news that their building was on fire.
They had arrived at their headquarters to find a nightmarish scene of smoke, flames and fire-fighting equipment, and the reassuring sight of yellow clad firefighters working to save TAF property.
``The way they were taking care of the rest of the facility was almost more than I can even imagine,'' Farinholt said.
While some of the firefighters attacked the blaze in one part of the building, others carried equipment, records and furnishings to safety. One group escorted Rachel Farinholt to the area, just one wall away from the main part of the blaze, where irreplaceable claims documents valued at $2.5 million were stored. Those documents, too, were moved to safety.
For the crew from Company 3, there was a bit of irony in the TAF fire. The firm had designed the company's new station in the Oceana Industrial Park a few years ago.
There was also a confession to be made.
``I broke your window,'' `A' shift commander, Capt. R.L. Weller, whose Company 3 was first on the scene, admitted to Oliver Farinholt.
Farinholt assured Weller that he was forgiven.
Five weeks after the fire, effects of the blaze are still noticeable in the building. A major portion of it remains a charred hulk awaiting renovation. Electronic and office equipment with varying degrees of damage is found throughout the building. And the smell of smoke is still strong to those not used to it. The cause is still unknown.
There were, however, many positive stories to come out of the fire. ``All of our employees except for one who had medical problems and another who was pregnant worked through the weekend to get this place cleaned up,'' Rachel Farinholt said.
``We immediately had our calls diverted to one of our mobile phones, we had computer experts in to see what we could save from our system and we were back in business by Monday morning,'' she added.
Damage to the building and its contents have totaled well over $1 million so far, but both Farinholts say they believe it would have been much worse without the dedication and professionalism of the firefighters.
``We'd never been involved in a fire before,'' Oliver Farinholt told the luncheon guests including other TAF employees and Mayor Meyera Oberndorf, ``and we didn't know what to expect. I certainly think that we got our tax dollars worth that night.''
The proud mayor had the last word a few minutes later. ``I'm glad you all did such a good job so that I could have a free lunch,'' she joked. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by JO-ANN CLEGG
George Hughes Jr., firefighter with Company 16; Rachel Fairholt, a
project manager with TAF Group; Oliver Farinholt, TAF Group
president; and Richie Ross, a firefighter with Company 16, observe
ceiling damage at the architectural, engineering and construction
firm's headquarters. Ironically, TAF Group had designed Company 3's
new station a few years ago.
by CNB