Ny B9 May Hearing 2004 Fdr- Briefing For Commissioners 439

BRIEFING FOR COMMISSIONERS

I.

INTRODUCTION

THANKS FOR MAKING THE TIME TO COME TO NY FOR THIS HEARING ON EMERGENCY RESPONSE THE PURPOSE OF THHE HEARING IS TWO-FOLD: 1) TO SET FORTH AS CLEARLY AS POSSIBLE THE FACTS OF THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE IN NY ON THE MORNING OF 9/11; AND 2) TO BUILD INDUCTIVELY UPON THOSE FACTS IN IDENTIFYING LESSONS LEARNED FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND PREPAREDNESS GENERALLY IMPORTANCE OF TH HEARING/WHAT'S AT STAKE? FOR ALL THE ATTENTION PAID TO ISSUES OF INTELLIGENCE AD PREVENTION, THE REALITY OF 9/11 WAS THAT THE LAST BEST HOPE OF CIVILIANS RESTED NOT WITH NATIONAL POLICYMAKERS BUT WITH FIRST RESPONDERS: POLICE, FIR, EMS, AND OTHER CIVILIANS. IF SECRETARIES RIDGE AND RUMSFELD ARE RIGHT THAT WE CANNOT HOPE TO FRUSTRATE EVERY ATTEMPT TO ATTACK US, FIRST RESPONDERS WILL LIKELY FIND THEMSELVES ON THE FRONT LINES AGAIN IN THE FUTURE. TAKE AW AYS: UNDERSCORE THE NEED FOR INTERAGENCY COORDINATION IN RESPONDING; IN THIS SENSE, ALREADY A SUCCESS - NYC SIGNED PTOTOCOL LAST WEEK BETWEEN NYPD AND FDNY (PANELSISTS SHOULD BE QUESTIONED CLOSELY ON WHETHER IT SIGNALS A NEW ERA) UNDERSCORE THE NEED FOR PRIVATE SECTOR/CIVILIAN PREPAREDNESS. FIRST RAISED IN NOVEMBER HEARING. II.

FACTS OF THE DAY: 1ST CHALLENGE IS WHAT TO PRESENT - MANY QUESTIONS SURROUND THE NY RESPONSE. QUESTION FOR US WAS WHERE WE COULD ADD THE MOST VALUE NIST - $33 MILLION STUDY OF THE TECHNICAL/SCIENTIFIC ISSUES SURROUNDING THE COLLAPSE OF THE TOWERS. ALSO COVERING ISSUES SUCH AS THE EFFECT OF PA NONCOMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE CODES

AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FIREFIGHTER EQUIPMENT, I.E., RADIOS MCKINSEY & CO HAD DONE SIGNIFICANT WORK ON THE ISSUES INTERNAL TO THE FDNY AND NYPD AS WE BEGAN TO TALK TO PEOPLE AROUND TOWN, IT BCAME CLEAR THAT NO ONE REALLY WANTED TO LOOK AT WHAT EVERYONE WAS TELLING US WAS THE CENTRAL AND MOST DIFFICULT ISSUE SURROUNDING THE IMMEDIATE RESPONSE: THE LACK OF COORDINATION AMONG RESPONDING AGENCIES, STEMMING FROM THE LONGSTANDING RIVALRY BETWEEN NYPD AND FDNY IN FACT, BOTH MCKINSEY REPORTS STATED EXPLICITLY THAT THEY WEREN'T GOING TO TOUCH THE ISSUE IT ALSO BECAME CLEAR THAT THE ROLE OF CIVILIANS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AS FIRST RESPONDERS HAD BEEN UNDEREMPHASIZED. SO OUR FOCUS HAS BEEN INTERAGENCY COORDINATION AND THE ROLE OF THE PRIVATE/CIVILIAN SECTOR IN RESPONSE. 2 ND CHALLENGE IS HOW TO PRESENT IT CONSIDERATIONS: DENSITY OF THE DATA/NUBER OF POTENTIAL WITNESSES: HUNDREDS OF HOURS OF RADIO TRANSMISSIONS, 9-1-1 CALLS, VIDEO TAPES, STILL PHOTOGRAPHS, 500 INTERVIEW TRANSCRPTS OF FDNY, HUNDREDS OF INTERVIEWS AND OTHER CONTATCS THAT OUR OFFICE HAS MADE IN CONJUNTION WITH NIST AND INDEPENDENTLY SENSITIVITY OF THE DATA/WITNESSES AND VIEWERS. THESE ISSUES REMAIN QUITE RAW IN NYC. SOME OF THE BEST WITNESSES CANNOT TALK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES WITHOUT BREAKING DOWN. SEEMED ALMOST CRUEL TO SUBJECT THESE PEOPLE TO LIVE TESTIMONY, AND THE REALITY IS THAT MUCH OF THE EVIDENCE IS FRANKLY TOO DISTURBING TO PRESENT IN PUBLIC. 9-1-1 CALLS EXAMPLES. TAPES AVAILABLE IF ANYONE INTERESTED IN LISTENING AFTER PRESENTATION.

DECISION: DIFFERENT KIND OF STAFF PRESENTATION. PRESENT DAY-OF, DISTILLING CRITICAL FACTS BY VIDEOTAPING KEY TESTIMONY, AND FOLLOW THIS BY CALLING PANELS OF ACOUNTABLE OFFICIALS FROM THE PORT AUTHORITY AND THE CITY OF NY: KERIK, VON ESSEN, SCHERER, ULTIMATELY MAYOR GIULIANI. FOLOW THEM WITH PANEL CURRENT OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS. DAY-OF PRESENTATION: OBVIOUSLY NOT GOING TO PRESENT IT TONIGHT, BUT BY WAY OF ORIENTATION OFFER THE FOLLOWING: 1. START BY ORIENTING AUDIENCE: PASS OUT SLIDES 2. TURNING TO DAY ITSELF, DIVIDE INTO DISCRETE PERIODS ANCHORED TO EVENTS THAT TRANSFORMED THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE: a. 8:46-9:03 b. 9:03-9:59 c. 9:59-10:26 d. 10:26 AND AFTER 3. HIGH POINTS OF EACH PERIOD a. 1ST 17 MINUTES, CIVILIANS IN BOTH TOWERS REACT. QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT TO DO IN SOUTH TOWER; MIXED MESSAGES. NORTH TOWER EVACUATION BEGINS. 9-1-1 CONFUSION PFIEFER AND HAYDEN VIDEO - YOU WILL SEE FDNY ARRIVE ON THE SCENE, DETERMINES THAT THE FIRE CANNOT BE FOUGHT - THIS IS A RESCUE MISSION NYPD MOBILIZES: HELICOPTER REPORTS NO ROOFTOP EVACUATION POSSIBLE PAPD BEGINS TO REACT

b. 9:03-9:59 SECOND IMPACT DOUBLES INSTANTLY IN MAGNITUDE THE SCOPE OF THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE CIVILIANS - STAIRWAY A PASSABLE AT LEAST INITIALLY; HEAR STORIES. FDNY COMMUNICATION DIFFICULTIES BECOME APPARENT: REPEATER SYSTEM TEST; OVERCROWDING ON TACTICAL 1; USE OF RUNNER BETWEEN STREET AND NORTH TOWER NYPD RESCUE TEAM IN NORTH TOWER REBUFFED BY FDNY; CLIMBS INDEPENDENTLY CONTROLLING AND DIRECTING TRAFFIC; ASSISTING IN EVACUATION PAPD: LOCALIZED FREQUENCIES A PROBLEM. TOP LEADERSHIP TRYING TO REACH THE TOP FLOORS OEM EVACUATED; LOSS OF POTENTIAL COORDINATION (BUT IT WASN'T REALLY HAPPENING) MAYOR AND AIDES - COORDINATE WITH CHIEF GANCI STUCK IN 75 LIBERTY WHEN TOWER COLLAPSED NO ADVANCE HELICOPTER WARNING THAT SOUTH TOWER WOULD COLLAPSE CONTINUING 9-1-1 PROBLEMS—WARNING OF FLOORS IN 90S COLLAPSING DELAYED AND GARBLED c. 9:59-10:26 EVACUATION ORDERS; LOSS OF COMMAND AND CONTROL; NYPD HELICOPTER TRANSMISSIONS RE DETERIORATING CONDITION OF NT; FDNY MARINE TRANSMISSION THAT ST DOWN

FDNY LACKED TWO CRITICAL PIECES OF INFORMATION: 1 THAT THE ST HAD COLLAPSED; AND 2 THE NT WAS RAPIDLY DETERIORATING. PRESENTATION WILL CONCLUDE WITH THE COLLAPSE OF THE NT. SUMMARY COMMENTS FROM PFIEFFER III.

First Panel - Port Authority Alan Reiss and Joe Morris - SC to highlight issues.

IV.

2d Panel - Kerik, Von Essen, Scherer presentation doesn't really focus as much on their activity; much interest in work since 9/11. Kerik as Police Chief of Baghdad, etc. state of national and world preparedness

V.

Current Leadership - Kelly, Scopetta, Bruno New protocol; role of OEM

DAY TWO DAY TWO FEATURES FORMER MAYOR GIULIANI AND SEC RIDGE. THE FORMER MAYOR WILL TALK ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE ON 9/11, PREPAREDNESS FOR IT, AND HIS WORK SINCE.