- Author
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Title
- Responding to Incidents of National Consequence. Recommendations for America's Fire and Emergency Services Based on the Events of September 11, 2001 and Other Similar Incidents.
- Coporate
- Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, DC
- Report
- FA-282, May 2004, 118 p.
- Keywords
- fire departments | emergencies | World Trade Center | methodology | public awareness | fire prevention | planning | recovery | homeland security | terrorism | terrorists
- Identifiers
- awareness/prevention/preparedness; initial response; tabilized event/ongoing recovery; postevent/long-term recovery; issues-recommendations checklist; homeland security Presidential directive 5; NIMS fact sheet for emergency response agencies; crash of United Flight 93, Somerset County, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, September 11, 2001
- Abstract
- The terrorist events in the fall of 2001 were unparalleled in our Nation's history and tested the capabilities of the local, State, and Federal emergency response resources beyond any incident or series of incidents to that point. Unfortunately, it may not be the last time such capabilities will be tested. Local, State, and Federal response agencies must learn from the experiences of those who dealt with the tragic events in New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Florida to ensure that they are as prepared as possible for any type of major emergency or disaster. I The purpose of this report is to provide guidance to fire departments and emergency services across America to prepare for, respond to, and recover from major multijurisdictional local incidents that have national national resources. The issues and recommendations in this report were identified in various after-action reports and interviews with the leaders of the organizations that responded to, participated in, and managed these events. The incidents that were reviewed had many similarities and many differences. For example, the plane crashes a1t the World Trade Center (WTC) and the Pentagon can be characterized as fire-managed incidents with a nondiscretionary time element. The plane crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the anthrax incident in Boca Raton, Florida, can be characterized as law enforcement-managed incidents with a discretionary time element. Although all of the incidents were crisis events, the discretionary time element allows decisions and actions to be developed and implemented without the urgency of an environment that is considerd imminently dangerous to health and life. Not all issues identified were present at all of the incidents. Similarly, not all of the recommendations in this report will apply to all departments, nor will the priority order for implementation be the same for all departments.