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LOCAL | STATE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015
SAFETY FROM PAGE A1 “A lot of times when it burns off there is the smell of something burning in the household,” he said. The smell should go away quickly, but if it persists for more than a few minutes, Rose said to call the fire department. “If the smell doesn’t go away, there is a good possibility there is a fire inside the unit or in the attic space,” he said. “Call us and we can come out and check that unit and make sure there isn’t a fire there.” Space and kerosene heaters are also a cause for concern, he said. “Make sure they have a clear
space three feet around on all four sides,” he urged. Keeping children away from them is also an important, he said. Rose recommended kerosene heat users replace the wick each year “Take the wick out of it because it can get clogged with dust and spider webs,” he said. “The wick is like a lung in there, so spend $5 and get a new wick.” He said if the wick is dirty it will not burn properly, and it can cause an explosion if the heater can’t breathe properly. “Put it in a place where nobody can fall on it or knock it over,” he said. Wood burning fireplaces should be checked by a chim-
PLANNING FROM PAGE A1 in Sumter. According to a news release from the planning department, a damage assessment must be completed before homeowners can receive a building permit to repair damaged structures within the 100-year floodplain. Roodman said the planning department and the building inspections de-
BELL FROM PAGE A1 as a top litigation attorney at local, state and national levels and has tried more than 300 major cases throughout the United States. The Charleston School of Law was founded as a forprofit school in 2003 and received full accreditation from the American Bar Association in 2011. Bell said he does not yet have a timeline for making the school a nonprofit institution, but he said, “The quicker we can do it, the better.” Bell said he aims to reduce the debt load for future students, and switching to a nonprofit model will help the school raise scholarship money by making donations tax-deductible. He said that as president, he intends to answer to a governing board once the school becomes a nonprofit. “I’m looking forward to the changes that are about to take place at Charleston School of Law. Our vision is one that puts students and faculty first as we move into a future that will include the implementation of innovative learning and teaching opportunities and mirror our founding motto, pro bono populi,” he said.
ney sweep before use, he said. “Make sure you don’t have an animal like a squirrel or raccoon or birds or something like that inside it,” he said. If something is blocking the chimney, he said, the smoke doesn’t have anywhere to go and sometimes it can start a nest on fire inside the chimney. “That can make the mortar joints in the chimney separate, and you can have a fire in your attic space,” he warned. “Believe me, as a firefighter that is the worst kind of fire to put out.” Thanksgiving is coming up and there is going to be a lot of cooking going on, he said. “A lot of baking and pies and stuff in the oven,” Rose said. Dealing with grease fires is a
partment are working to quickly issue permits so that homeowners can begin reconstruction as soon as possible. She said Sumter participates in the National Flood Insurance program, which means the planning department must enforce floodplain management regulations and ordinances in order to receive benefits. She said following those regulations requires homeowners with properties that have suffered significant damage
The Bell Legal Group was founded in Sumter in 1983. The firm maintained offices here for many years after moving the practice to Georgetown, where he lives with his wife, Dawn, and two young children, Jeb and Middleton. He has three grown daughters, Gigi Bell Hammond of Atlanta, Virginia Bell Flynn of Dallas, also an attorney, and Caroline Bell Stowe of Baltimore.
TWO YEARS OF TURMOIL The Charleston School of Law has had a tumultuous two years since announcing a management agreement in July 2013 with the for-profit, Florida-based InfiLaw System, which also owns law schools in Phoenix, Arizona, Charlotte and Jacksonville. In surveys and public forums, faculty and students heavily opposed an attempt by two of the school’s founders to sell the school to InfiLaw. The proposed sale hit several snags as school leaders sought the necessary approval for the deal from S.C. Commission on Higher Education. According to Bell, the management agreement with InfiLaw ended about two
THE SUMTER ITEM recurring problem, he said. “Make sure if you have a grease fire, don’t put water on it,” he said. “Use a fire extinguisher or just put a lid on it.” A cooking sheet to slide over the pot will also work, he said. “Once you turn the heat source off and put something over it to take the oxygen off, it’s got to go out; that’s just science,” he said. “We have a lot of people throw water on it, and water will make it a lot bigger than it is.” People have a tendency to let their guard down around the holidays, Rose said. They often turn their oven on low then go do something else. “Don’t go to Walmart or go outside in the yard; there are a thousand things that can make
within the 100-year floodplain to bring the structures up to code, if they do not already meet standards. Later, the commission received an update on improvements to the downtown area. Downtown Development Manager Howie Owens said although recent weather has slowed progress of the downtown revitalization project, which will include improvements to several intersections, sidewalks and greenery,
months ago and was not renewed. A spokesperson for InfiLaw has not responded to a phone request for comment. Bell said he admires the students who have stayed at the Charleston School of Law for the last two years. “It’s been tough to go to a school that’s had this kind of turmoil, and what I’ve learned is the school had so much more than just this controversy,” Bell said. “These kids that stuck it out had faith in this school; that shows what kind of character they had, so they are the heroes.” Bell, who was born in Charleston and attended University of South Carolina School of Law, said he has already bought an interest in the school and will serve as
you forget about it,” he said. “That’s when fires happen.” In the case of an oven fire, he said to turn off the oven, keep the door closed and call the fire department. Opening the oven back can cause an explosion when the fire gets oxygen he said. “Call us and let us take care of it,” he said. With Sunday, Nov. 1, being the end of Daylight Savings Time, it is a good to put a fresh battery in smoke detectors. “One thing we stress a lot is, you can come by the nearest fire department and fill out an application and we will come by and install a smoke detector or new batteries free,” he said. “You can’t beat that,” Rose said.
it is anticipated to be completed by February. He said the city has entered memoranda of understanding with different entities for five vacant properties downtown: four of the buildings will become restaurants and one will become an office for an architectural and construction company from Charleston. Owens said he is optimistic about the construction of the downtown hotel and anticipates a groundbreaking next year.
manager of the Charleston School of Law LLC in addition to his role as school president. He said he does not think the school will need an accreditation review from the bar association or the Commission on Higher Education because the leadership structure has not radically changed. Bell said he intends for the law school to continue partnering with the College of Charleston to offer a dual MBA/JD degree program. Andy Abrams, dean of the law school, said he was “absolutely ecstatic” about the news of Bell’s leadership role and the plan to move to a nonprofit status. “Ed Bell personifies the motto of the Charleston School of Law: pro bono popu-
li, ‘for the good of the people,’” Abrams said. John Robinson, a local attorney and president of the school’s alumni board, said he also has confidence in Bell. “His vision for it to be a nonprofit, to focus on student excellence, to emphasize public service are critical to the survival of the law school, and he gets it,” Robinson said. “People have said for two-plus years that there was no white knight out there who would bail out the school. He’s the white knight. He gets it.” Editor’s note: Thanks to Paul Bowers of The Charleston Post and Courier for contributing to this story. Reach him at (843) 937-5546 or twitter.com/paul_ bowers.
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