N.Y. Faulted for Disaster Plan on 9/11

Nearly a year after the attacks on the World Trade Center, a comprehensive report concluded Monday that police and firefighters were hampered by numerous communications and organizational failures during their response to the disaster--emergency preparedness shortcomings that New York and cities across the country are trying to address.

Two studies, one on New York’s firefighters and the other on police, found that both lacked a comprehensive plan for such a large catastrophe and rarely exchanged information or coordinated their actions as the terrorism unfolded.

Communications from commanders to firefighters desperately trying to rescue people trapped in the cavernous skyscrapers was sporadic and hampered by major radio system failures.

The report also found that many firefighters and their chiefs who gathered in the lobby of the north tower initially believed only a part of the south tower had collapsed when in reality the entire 110-story structure had crashed to the ground.

Fire chiefs in the lobbies of both towers had little reliable information about the status of the firefighters they sent up into the buildings, and they did not receive badly needed intelligence from a police helicopter hovering above the scene.

“Chief officers considered a limited, localized collapse of the towers possible, but did not think they would collapse entirely,” the report by the management consultant McKinsey & Co. said.

The attack cost the lives of 343 firefighters and 23 members of the Police Department. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operated the trade center complex, lost 37 officers.

The study, which included hundreds of interviews, analysis of radio communications and key documents, praised the “enormous heroism” of the rescue personnel and included numerous recommendations for change.

“It is particularly crucial and urgent to improve the coordination between the FDNY and the NYPD,” the study urged, praising “positive first steps” that Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly and Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta have taken to improve relations between their departments.

But it warned: “More needs to be done.”

Cities and states around the country have reevaluated emergency procedures and purchased new equipment, including mobile command centers, since the trade center attack.

In Colorado, officials are preparing to unveil a radio system to improve communication among law enforcement agencies. Authorities in Idaho have practiced responding to bioterrorism using volunteers who played victims. St. Louis set up a special commission to help craft a communications system to replace one that includes 30 radio frequencies.

Boston recently increased its public safety budget by $745,000--much of the money designated for anti-terrorism measures, including 24-hour patrols at a key reservoir.

Baltimore police purchased a new mobile command post, while in Greenville, S.C., emergency management officials are lobbying for high-tech radios and better training for police, firefighters and paramedics.

The Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management recently updated its terrorism response plan. But like New York and some other cities, communications remains a concern.

“In New York, there is one police department, one health department and one fire department, and even with just that, they had difficulty,” said Capt. Michael Grossman of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. “Here, we have 88 cities.”

Los Angeles sheriff’s officials are studying how to improve communications among agencies in case of an attack or other disaster, but are at least a year away from issuing a report, Grossman said.

Additional training exercises also are planned. They include a countywide drill in November with mock “dirty” bombs hitting several targets at once. Hundreds of firefighters and police are expected to participate.

In New York, the McKinsey report concluded with a statement that experts said applied not only to that city but also to efforts in other areas of the nation.

“To truly improve New York’s preparedness, the city or state must establish an enhanced coordination process that encourages government agencies to plan and execute their response to major incidents together.

“This coordination would give decision makers a comprehensive view of the capabilities and responsibilities of all relevant agencies,” the study said.

New York’s five-month analysis ordered by Police and Fire Department officials found a “lack of equipment, training and supervision” among the hundreds of people who searched for survivors after both towers collapsed.

In the first moments of the crisis, top police commanders were unclear how to obtain military air support to defend against additional attacks, the report noted.

It took weeks for some hazardous materials to be identified, posing extra risks to workers.

Emergency plans called for coverage of an unrealistic number of sensitive locations in the city, and only 13% of these potential targets received additional police protection in the immediate hours after terrorists struck, the report also concluded.

On Monday, at a City Hall news conference, Scoppetta and Kelly pledged better planning and further cooperation and outlined steps they have already taken.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg praised both departments for carrying out “the most successful urban rescue in modern history,” but added a crucial caveat. “There is no doubt in my mind that we are doing today what the heroes of 9/11 would have wanted us to,” he said of the post-crisis analysis.

The report painted a portrait of some well-intentioned police and firefighters proceeding directly to the twin towers instead of to staging areas where they could be systematically assigned to the crisis. Some off-duty rescuers arrived without radios, which further complicated the situation.

It said ambulance dispatchers were overwhelmed trying to handle an enormous volume of calls under extreme pressure.

The Fire Department managed to maintain coverage in the rest of the city, but it would have been unable to respond quickly and effectively to another major incident involving hazardous materials.

“The FDNY has just one hazmat unit, which was committed to the World Trade Center,” said the report, which urged expanded hazardous material capabilities.

It recommended replacing the current emergency tracking system: a metal board with small magnets to indicate unit locations.

The study called for creation of management teams of Fire Department experts to respond to major incidents and to modernize procedures to quickly mobilize off-duty firefighters.

It also urged the Fire Department to distribute better radios and specialized gear to improve communications in high-rises.

The report said the police should ensure that there is a single top commander. It also proposed more frequent large-scale drills and terrorism simulations.

Scoppetta and Kelly stressed that some of the recommendations, including better communication between their departments, already had been implemented.

“I think we are clearly better prepared,” the mayor added, citing the heroism of police and firefighters “... The number of things that went right vastly outnumbered what we would do differently.”

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Times staff writer Jill Leovy in Los Angeles and Times researcher John Beckham in Chicago contributed to this report.