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 LONG-
STANDING 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.