*During those final minutes, most firefighters inside the north tower did not know the other building had crumbled, and how urgent it was for them to get out. *Throughout the crisis, the two largest emergency departments, Police and Fire, barely spoke to coordinate strategy or to share intelligence about building conditions. 11 as broadly, or to such devastating effect, as the Fire Department. No other agency lost communications on Sept. *When the firefighters needed to communicate, their radio system failed, just as it had in those same buildings eight years earlier, during the response to the 1993 bombing at the trade center. Those reviews have concluded that major changes are needed in how the agencies go about their work and prepare for the next disaster, senior officials say.Ī six-month examination by The Times found that the rescuers' ability to save themselves and others was hobbled by technical difficulties, a history of tribal feuding and management lapses that have been part of the emergency response culture in New York City and other regions for years. Now, after months of grief, both the Fire and Police Departments are approaching the end of delicate internal reviews of their responses to the attack. They risked their own.įrom the first moments to the last, however, their efforts were plagued by failures of communication, command and control. And the police and fire commanders guiding the rescue efforts did not talk to one another during the crisis.Ĭut off from critical information, at least 121 firefighters, most in striking distance of safety, died when the north tower fell, an analysis by The New York Times has found.įaced with devastating attacks, the city's emergency personnel formed an indelible canvas of sacrifice, man by man and woman by woman. Even if the radio network had been reliable, it was not linked to the police system. Their radio system failed frequently that morning. Yet most firefighters never heard those warnings, or earlier orders to get out. Those clear warnings, captured on police radio tapes, were transmitted 21 minutes before the building fell, and officials say they were relayed to police officers, most of whom managed to escape. I would evacuate all people within the area of that second building.'' Seconds later, another pilot reported: ''I don't think this has too much longer to go. ''About 15 floors down from the top, it looks like it's glowing red,'' the pilot of one helicopter, Aviation 14, radioed at 10:07 a.m. Minutes after the south tower collapsed at the World Trade Center, police helicopters hovered near the remaining tower to check its condition.
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