102 Minutes: The Unforgettable Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers (35 page)
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Authors: Jim Dwyer,Kevin Flynn
BOOK: 102 Minutes: The Unforgettable Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers
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… emerging in billowing, ghastly clouds:
NIST, “Progress Report on the Federal Building and Fire Safety Investigation of the WTC Disaster,” June 2004, Gaithersburg, Md., p. 29.
NIST, “Progress Report on the Federal Building and Fire Safety Investigation of the WTC Disaster,” June 2004, Gaithersburg, Md., p. 29.
During the first ten minutes after the crash:
NYPD statistic, hearing of Federal Communications Commission, November 16, 2001, Brooklyn, N.Y.
NYPD statistic, hearing of Federal Communications Commission, November 16, 2001, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Officer Steve Maggett answered one of the lines:
Transcript of phone conversation, Port Authority Police Department, September 11, 2001.
Transcript of phone conversation, Port Authority Police Department, September 11, 2001.
The wind load on an ordinary day:
Thomas Eagar and Christopher Musso, “Why Did the World Trade Center Collapse? Science, Engineer and Speculation,”
JOM,
53 (12) (2001): 8–11.
Thomas Eagar and Christopher Musso, “Why Did the World Trade Center Collapse? Science, Engineer and Speculation,”
JOM,
53 (12) (2001): 8–11.
In the instant after the plane struck:
James Glanz, “In Collapsing Towers, a Cascade of Failures,”
New York Times
, November 11, 2001.
James Glanz, “In Collapsing Towers, a Cascade of Failures,”
New York Times
, November 11, 2001.
It looked as if the structural engineers:
Leslie E. Robertson, interviews by Jim Dwyer, February 28, 1993; March 1994; see also, James Glanz and Eric Lipton,
City in the Sky
(New York: Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003).
Leslie E. Robertson, interviews by Jim Dwyer, February 28, 1993; March 1994; see also, James Glanz and Eric Lipton,
City in the Sky
(New York: Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003).
So they did what humans do:
Jim Dwyer, Eric Lipton, Kevin Flynn, James Glanz, Ford Fessenden, “Fighting to Live as the Towers Died,”
New York Times,
May 26, 2002. A comprehensive survey by the
Times
of post-impact communications from the two towers found that while hundreds of people probably died on the 15 floors impacted in the towers (94 through 99 in the north tower, and 77 through 85 in the south), that was less than half the area where people were trapped, which included the top 19 floors of the north tower and the top 33 of the south tower. Virtually all 658 employees of Cantor Fitzgerald who died survived the initial impact, as did 69 people in Carr Futures; 66 in Sandler O’Neill, and many of the 176 who died from Aon.
Jim Dwyer, Eric Lipton, Kevin Flynn, James Glanz, Ford Fessenden, “Fighting to Live as the Towers Died,”
New York Times,
May 26, 2002. A comprehensive survey by the
Times
of post-impact communications from the two towers found that while hundreds of people probably died on the 15 floors impacted in the towers (94 through 99 in the north tower, and 77 through 85 in the south), that was less than half the area where people were trapped, which included the top 19 floors of the north tower and the top 33 of the south tower. Virtually all 658 employees of Cantor Fitzgerald who died survived the initial impact, as did 69 people in Carr Futures; 66 in Sandler O’Neill, and many of the 176 who died from Aon.
A friend of Kelly’s:
Colleen Kelly and Maureen Donegan, interviews by Kevin Flynn, April 2002.
Colleen Kelly and Maureen Donegan, interviews by Kevin Flynn, April 2002.
Alderman heard from a colleague:
Copies of e-mail provided by Liz Alderman.
Copies of e-mail provided by Liz Alderman.
Greg Trevor, an authority spokesman:
Trevor detailed his experience in a written account provided to the authors.
Trevor detailed his experience in a written account provided to the authors.
At a stairway landing:
Details of Beyea’s and Zelmanowitz’s relationship and their movements that day are based on interviews by Kevin Flynn and Lauren Wolfe with Beyea’s nurse, Irma Fuller, and his mother, Janet Beyea; Zelmanowitz’s brother, Jack Zelmanowitz; Beyea’s wife, Paulinita; several rescuers who saw them that day, including Fire Capt. Jay Jonas and firefighter Rich Billy, Port Authority police officer David Lion; civilians in the building, including Keith Meerholz and Patricia Cullen.
Details of Beyea’s and Zelmanowitz’s relationship and their movements that day are based on interviews by Kevin Flynn and Lauren Wolfe with Beyea’s nurse, Irma Fuller, and his mother, Janet Beyea; Zelmanowitz’s brother, Jack Zelmanowitz; Beyea’s wife, Paulinita; several rescuers who saw them that day, including Fire Capt. Jay Jonas and firefighter Rich Billy, Port Authority police officer David Lion; civilians in the building, including Keith Meerholz and Patricia Cullen.
Chapter 4: “We have no communication established up there yet.”
In the lobby of the north tower:
Lloyd Thompson, interview by Ian Urbina,
New York Times,
May 2004.
Lloyd Thompson, interview by Ian Urbina,
New York Times,
May 2004.
His message went nowhere:
Timing and futility of the evacuation order over the public-address system is a finding of the National 9/11 Commission, Statement 13, May 2004.
Timing and futility of the evacuation order over the public-address system is a finding of the National 9/11 Commission, Statement 13, May 2004.
Even the simplest advice:
Jim Dwyer, Eric Lipton, Kevin Flynn, James Glanz, Ford Fessenden, “Fighting to Live as the Towers Died,”
New York Times,
May 26, 2002.
Jim Dwyer, Eric Lipton, Kevin Flynn, James Glanz, Ford Fessenden, “Fighting to Live as the Towers Died,”
New York Times,
May 26, 2002.
Several blocks away at the Court Officers Academy:
Joseph Baccellieri, interviews by Kevin Flynn, May 2002 and November 2003.
Joseph Baccellieri, interviews by Kevin Flynn, May 2002 and November 2003.
The fireball of exploding jet fuel:
National 9/11 Commission, Statement 13.
National 9/11 Commission, Statement 13.
He had heard Flight 11 screeching:
Jules Naudet, video footage.
Jules Naudet, video footage.
His first message began at 8:46:43:
Time of Pfeifer transmission from Manhattan dispatch tape 432, September 11, 2001, job 1-44. Time of impact from National Institute of Standards and Technology, “December 2003: Public Update on the Federal Building and Fire Safety Investigation of the World Trade Center Disaster,” Special Publication 1000-4, p. 13.
Time of Pfeifer transmission from Manhattan dispatch tape 432, September 11, 2001, job 1-44. Time of impact from National Institute of Standards and Technology, “December 2003: Public Update on the Federal Building and Fire Safety Investigation of the World Trade Center Disaster,” Special Publication 1000-4, p. 13.
Ninety seconds after the plane struck:
Manhattan dispatch tape.
Manhattan dispatch tape.
The brothers had become regulars:
Jonathan Storm, “Surprise Witness,”
Philadelphia Inquirer,
March 10, 2002.
Jonathan Storm, “Surprise Witness,”
Philadelphia Inquirer,
March 10, 2002.
The routine made for hearty fellowship:
CBS TV documentary,
9/11,
March 10, 2002.
CBS TV documentary,
9/11,
March 10, 2002.
More than 225 fire units would go:
McKinsey and FDNY statistic, McKinsey Report, August 2002.
McKinsey and FDNY statistic, McKinsey Report, August 2002.
In the brave, pell-mell rush:
Deputy Fire Commissioner Stephen Gregory, testimony to Federal Communications Commission, November 16, 2001.
Deputy Fire Commissioner Stephen Gregory, testimony to Federal Communications Commission, November 16, 2001.
They were both low-key commanders:
Details of the brothers’ lives were reported in “Portraits of Grief,” by Jim Dwyer,
New York Times,
November 25, 2001, and in “‘He Was a Quiet Guy Who Made a Difference,’” by Jennifer Smith,
Newsday,
November 18, 2001.
Details of the brothers’ lives were reported in “Portraits of Grief,” by Jim Dwyer,
New York Times,
November 25, 2001, and in “‘He Was a Quiet Guy Who Made a Difference,’” by Jennifer Smith,
Newsday,
November 18, 2001.
Kevin didn’t say much in reply:
Joseph Pfeifer account to
Firehouse,
April 2002.
Joseph Pfeifer account to
Firehouse,
April 2002.
They could not handle what confronted them:
Deputy Chief Albert Turi, chief of safety, FDNY, interview by Kevin Flynn, May 2002.
Deputy Chief Albert Turi, chief of safety, FDNY, interview by Kevin Flynn, May 2002.
Each hose could shoot 250 gallons:
Deputy Chief Vincent Dunn (ret.), interview by Kevin Flynn, January 2002.
Deputy Chief Vincent Dunn (ret.), interview by Kevin Flynn, January 2002.
So the three chiefs in charge:
Chief Joseph Callan, Fire Department of New York, oral history, November 2, 2001.
Chief Joseph Callan, Fire Department of New York, oral history, November 2, 2001.
Still others were assigned floors:
The operational details for the first few minutes were derived from several interviews with Pfeifer and Deputy Chief Peter Hayden, including those published by
Firehouse
magazine, April 2002, and conducted by the FDNY, as well as their statements as captured in footage shot by the Naudet brothers.
The operational details for the first few minutes were derived from several interviews with Pfeifer and Deputy Chief Peter Hayden, including those published by
Firehouse
magazine, April 2002, and conducted by the FDNY, as well as their statements as captured in footage shot by the Naudet brothers.
Among the most experienced chiefs:
Donald J. Burns, “Operations in Tower 1,”
The World Trade Center Bombing: Report and Analysis, United States Fire Administration,
1994.
Donald J. Burns, “Operations in Tower 1,”
The World Trade Center Bombing: Report and Analysis, United States Fire Administration,
1994.
With the guests herded onto the lower floor:
Owners and managers of the restaurant, including David Emil and Glenn Vogt, interviews by Kevin Flynn, April 2002.
Owners and managers of the restaurant, including David Emil and Glenn Vogt, interviews by Kevin Flynn, April 2002.
People farther away were to leave:
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey,
Fire Safety Plan for the World Trade Center,
New York, 1997.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey,
Fire Safety Plan for the World Trade Center,
New York, 1997.
The operators for the 911 system:
National 9/11 Commission, Statement 13.
National 9/11 Commission, Statement 13.
Ivhan Carpio, a worker at the restaurant:
Andrew Jacobs, “Things Were Going So Well,”
New York Times,
September 26, 2001, and Dwyer, Lipton, Flynn, Glanz, Fessenden,
New York Times,
May 26, 2002.
Andrew Jacobs, “Things Were Going So Well,”
New York Times,
September 26, 2001, and Dwyer, Lipton, Flynn, Glanz, Fessenden,
New York Times,
May 26, 2002.
Christine Olender now called the police desk:
Port Authority police transcript, September 11, 2001.
Port Authority police transcript, September 11, 2001.
The console at the fire command desk:
Oral histories, New York Fire Department, October–December 2001.
Oral histories, New York Fire Department, October–December 2001.
Few departments equal the rigor of New York City’s:
A Naval War College study, conducted two months after September 11, 2001, concluded: “As a function of command and control, it was evident that the Fire Department has no formal system to evaluate problems or develop plans for multiple complex events. It was equally evident that the Fire Department has conducted very little formal planning at the operational level.” Cited in “Fatal Confusion: A Troubled Emergency Response; 9/11 Exposed Deadly Flaws in Rescue Plan,”
New York Times,
July 7, 2002, p. 1.
A Naval War College study, conducted two months after September 11, 2001, concluded: “As a function of command and control, it was evident that the Fire Department has no formal system to evaluate problems or develop plans for multiple complex events. It was equally evident that the Fire Department has conducted very little formal planning at the operational level.” Cited in “Fatal Confusion: A Troubled Emergency Response; 9/11 Exposed Deadly Flaws in Rescue Plan,”
New York Times,
July 7, 2002, p. 1.
Though the FDNY rarely lacked for resources:
Citizens Budget Commission, “Financial and Service Indicators, 1990–2002,” available at
www.cbcny.org
, shows that expenditures for the Fire Department increased from $858.6 million in fiscal 1992 to $1.1 billion in fiscal 2002. In constant 2002 dollars, this represented an increase
of 29 percent, or $253 million. The numbers of fires in the city declined by 46 percent during that period, from 100, 429 to 54,327.
Citizens Budget Commission, “Financial and Service Indicators, 1990–2002,” available at
www.cbcny.org
, shows that expenditures for the Fire Department increased from $858.6 million in fiscal 1992 to $1.1 billion in fiscal 2002. In constant 2002 dollars, this represented an increase
of 29 percent, or $253 million. The numbers of fires in the city declined by 46 percent during that period, from 100, 429 to 54,327.
The New York Police Department had figured this out:
Testimony of Chief Ari Wax of the NYPD to the Federal Communication Commission, November 16, 2001.
Testimony of Chief Ari Wax of the NYPD to the Federal Communication Commission, November 16, 2001.
… where buildings seldom topped six stories:
Chief Vincent Dunn and Fire Chief Nicholas Visconti (ret.), interviews by Kevin Flynn, 2002.
Chief Vincent Dunn and Fire Chief Nicholas Visconti (ret.), interviews by Kevin Flynn, 2002.
… a department that resisted technological change:
One of those who acknowledged that the agency has not always embraced change was Office of Emergency Management commissioner Richard Sheirer, a former FDNY dispatcher.
One of those who acknowledged that the agency has not always embraced change was Office of Emergency Management commissioner Richard Sheirer, a former FDNY dispatcher.
… Fire Department had also issued new handheld radios:
This synopsis of the FDNY history of using portable radios was derived from interviews with Motorola officials and with retired Chief Vincent Dunn, by Kevin Flynn, January 2002; and from Chief John T. O’Hagan,
High-Rise/Fire & Life Safety
(Saddle Brook, N.J.: Pennwell Publications, 1977).
This synopsis of the FDNY history of using portable radios was derived from interviews with Motorola officials and with retired Chief Vincent Dunn, by Kevin Flynn, January 2002; and from Chief John T. O’Hagan,
High-Rise/Fire & Life Safety
(Saddle Brook, N.J.: Pennwell Publications, 1977).
… the new radios were pulled from service:
This debate ended when the new digital radios, reprogrammed to work in the more familiar analog mode, were redistributed to firefighters in 2003 and did not generate significant complaints.
This debate ended when the new digital radios, reprogrammed to work in the more familiar analog mode, were redistributed to firefighters in 2003 and did not generate significant complaints.
It had been tested only a few months earlier:
Synopsis of communication improvements to WTC are based on interviews with Alan Reiss, a PA official, by Jim Dwyer, in 2002, and FDNY records of radio tests within the buildings.
Synopsis of communication improvements to WTC are based on interviews with Alan Reiss, a PA official, by Jim Dwyer, in 2002, and FDNY records of radio tests within the buildings.
… police officers summoned at 8:56:
McKinsey and Company report to NYPD, 2002, provides chronology for dispatch of officers to the scene.
McKinsey and Company report to NYPD, 2002, provides chronology for dispatch of officers to the scene.
… about 1,000 officers would be responding:
Deployment total from 9/11 Commission, Statement 13.
Deployment total from 9/11 Commission, Statement 13.
Some teams did check in:
9/11 Commission, Statement 13.
9/11 Commission, Statement 13.
They did not bicker:
In May 2004, a staff report from the 9/11 Commission stated that police and fire commanders did not coordinate their activities. In an interview with the
New York Times,
published July 7, 2002, Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen stated, “That day, the police did not hook up with the Fire Department. I don’t know why.” Former police commissioner Bernard Kerik, however, testified at a 9/11 Commission hearing that he saw a police sergeant serving as a liaison to the fire command post. No witnesses corroborate Kerik’s account. The sergeant is dead and no fire officer, including those at the command post, say that they saw
any coordination between the departments. An hour after the first plane hit, one police commander, Chief Thomas Purtell of the Emergency Service Unit, did try to make his way to the fire command post, according to an oral history by his aide, but the south tower collapsed before the chief could get there.
In May 2004, a staff report from the 9/11 Commission stated that police and fire commanders did not coordinate their activities. In an interview with the
New York Times,
published July 7, 2002, Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen stated, “That day, the police did not hook up with the Fire Department. I don’t know why.” Former police commissioner Bernard Kerik, however, testified at a 9/11 Commission hearing that he saw a police sergeant serving as a liaison to the fire command post. No witnesses corroborate Kerik’s account. The sergeant is dead and no fire officer, including those at the command post, say that they saw
any coordination between the departments. An hour after the first plane hit, one police commander, Chief Thomas Purtell of the Emergency Service Unit, did try to make his way to the fire command post, according to an oral history by his aide, but the south tower collapsed before the chief could get there.
No one from the Fire Department:
The account is based on interviews with NYPD and FDNY officials, including commanders who were at the scene and pilots who flew that day, and conclusions reached by McKinsey and Company in its studies for New York City.
The account is based on interviews with NYPD and FDNY officials, including commanders who were at the scene and pilots who flew that day, and conclusions reached by McKinsey and Company in its studies for New York City.
… the group was disbanded in 1994:
Communication from Michael Rogovin, former deputy counsel to Queens borough president, and representative of the Aviation Emergency Preparedness Group.
Communication from Michael Rogovin, former deputy counsel to Queens borough president, and representative of the Aviation Emergency Preparedness Group.
… though none that involved an airliner:
Testimony, Richard Sheirer, former commissioner of OEM, 9/11 Commission, May 2004.
Testimony, Richard Sheirer, former commissioner of OEM, 9/11 Commission, May 2004.
… Guy Tozzoli told a legislative hearing:
Graham Rayman, “Crash Scenario Foretold in ’93; WTC Official Wanted Plan for Jet Disaster,”
New York Newsday,
November 12, 2001, p. 6. In his 1993 testimony before a state legislative committee, Guy Tozzoli referred to a replicated plane disaster staged in the 1970s. The authors could not find newspaper accounts of such a drill. However, there was a drill similar to the one he described in November 1982.
Graham Rayman, “Crash Scenario Foretold in ’93; WTC Official Wanted Plan for Jet Disaster,”
New York Newsday,
November 12, 2001, p. 6. In his 1993 testimony before a state legislative committee, Guy Tozzoli referred to a replicated plane disaster staged in the 1970s. The authors could not find newspaper accounts of such a drill. However, there was a drill similar to the one he described in November 1982.
… the city did not organize a single joint drill:
Interviews with Office of Emergency Management director Richard Sheirer; Port Authority deputy police chief Anthony Whitaker; World Trade Center fire director Michael Hurley; Fire Department deputy commissioner Frank Gribbon, by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn, January–June 2002.
Interviews with Office of Emergency Management director Richard Sheirer; Port Authority deputy police chief Anthony Whitaker; World Trade Center fire director Michael Hurley; Fire Department deputy commissioner Frank Gribbon, by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn, January–June 2002.
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