What I observed was not simply a difficult fire under extreme conditions, Butler said. It was the predictable outcome of a breakdown in leadership, preparedness and command discipline. Firefighters were forced to improvise without adequate resources, unified command or consistent safety oversight. This was not a failure of effort by firefighters. It was a failure of leadership above them.
We see this multiple times in this week's episode, most notably when prison guard Kevin Jackson tips Mike off that his boss, Torres, has another drug shipment coming in on a gas tanker truck. Mike tells Kevin not to worry about anyone finding out he's been spilling insider info, saying, "If any of this lands on their radar, I'll handle it." Kevin, a savvy young man, replies, "I hear the words you're saying. They're just words."