9/11 Draft Reports Say City Rescuers Lacked Coordination | NYT

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9/11 Draft Reports Say City Rescuers Lacked Coordination

By JIM DWYER and KEVIN FLYNN
Published: May 14, 2004

Draft reports from the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks praise the bravery of New York's emergency responders while two of the largest buildings in the world were crumbling, but say their efforts were severely hampered by institutional problems, according to people who have seen some or all the findings.

The three main emergency agencies that went to the World Trade Center - the Fire Department, the New York Police Department, and the Port Authority Police Department - did not coordinate their responses and frequently did not or could not share valuable information, according to those who have seen the reports, which were prepared by the commission staff for hearings next week in New York. For example, the staff cited a message from a city police helicopter that the north tower was "glowing" and about to fall that was not heard by firefighters.

In a cautious exercise intended to balance historical fidelity with sensitivity to the grim and terrifying challenges of the day, each emergency agency receives some criticism. The drafts say the Fire Department lost track of units and was unable to communicate with them, according to officials who have been briefed on the contents. Three hundred and forty-three firefighters died at the trade center.

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