Coordinated Efforts of Federal and Local Agencies to Provide Emergency Response Following 9/11 Attacks

Q. Comment on the communication and control during the incident.

Multiple local and federal agencies were involved in providing emergency response following the 9/11 attacks. To name a few: Arlington County Fire Department (ACFD) Arlington County Emergency Communications Center (ECC), Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Fire Department, Fort Myer Fire Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Capital Respond Squad (NCRS) Fire Service, Fire Communications. Also hospital authorities from Virginia Hospital Center - Arlington, Inova Fairfax Hospital, and Washington Hospital Center participated in this aftermath.

So it was very essential that these authorities work together and communicate efficiently to make the operation successful. The first activity that triggered the coordination and a step in the right direction was when Captain McCoy who saw the incident immediately contacted ECC. Who in turn alerted all the fire stations in Arlington and also ordered to report the incident to the FBI. Also, Capt. Gilroy of Fort Myer Fire Department who was already at the crash site communicated the location to his department who then reported it to the Pentagon immediately.

The information flow and coordination was control was exceptional with division of work and individual responsibilities distributed to individual agencies. FBI was responsible for investigation; ACFD was responsible for the fire. ECC and EMC were taking care of the emergency medical operations. Individual authorities were able to show their leadership ability to make other people work and take responsibilities in the midst of the situation. Pentagon was able to communicate effectively and was able to establish unified command. Unified Command was exercised by Fire (ACFD), Military (DoD), Law Enforcement (FBI) and US&R team. Unified Command brought the ICs of individual agencies together to operate effectively.

Q. What were the critical factors for the operations?

One...