The 9/11 Commission Report concludes that the failure of FDNY
radios during the attack on the World Trade Center was "a
contributing factor" to the number of firefighter fatalities.
There are numerous references throughout the report to the
inability of radio signals to penetrate steel and concrete and the
limited effectiveness of emergency radio communications in
high-rise buildings. One of the lessons to be
learned from the tragic events of 9/11 is the importance of
being able to support emergency communications in office
buildings. Today's newsletter provides a sobering report of
the failure of emergency communications in the Twin Towers and the
Pentagon...
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Darlene Pope, President
dpope@crepartners.com |
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THE 9/11
COMMISSION REPORT
AND IN-BUILDING COMMUNICATIONS
The following is a compilation of excerpts taken directly from
The 9/11 Commission Report regarding the failure of
emergency radio communications at the World Trade Center (WTC) and
the Pentagon during the rescue attempts on September 11, 2001. With
the threat of terrorist attacks continuing to be a major concern,
commercial real estate owners need to ask themselves if their
properties are adequately equipped to handle an emergency response
for the safety of their tenants.
The
9/11 Commission Report states that
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“It is a fair
inference, given the differing situations in New York City [and at
the Pentagon], that the problems in command, control, and
communications that occurred at both sites will likely recur in
any emergency of [a] similar scale. The task, looking forward, is
to enable first responders to respond in a coordinated manner with
the greatest possible awareness of the situation.”
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The 1993
Terrorist Bombing of the WTC and the Port Authority’s Response
Recall that the World Trade Center in New York City had been the
target of terrorist attacks before Sept. 11, 2001. On February
26, 1993, a 1500-pound bomb was detonated on a parking garage ramp
beneath the Twin Towers of the WTC. Six people were killed and
about 1000 people were injured. This incident exposed
vulnerabilities in the WTC and New York City’s emergency
preparedness, including this fact from The 9/11 Commission
Report : “…rescue efforts by the Fire Department of New York
(FDNY) were hampered by the inability of its radios to function in
buildings as large as the Twin Towers.“ The report continues:
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“The FDNY’s
radios performed poorly during the 1993 WTC bombing for two
reasons. First, the radio signals often did not succeed in
penetrating the numerous steel and concrete floors that separated
companies attempting to communicate; and second, so many different
companies were attempting to use the same point-to-point channel
that communications became unintelligible.”
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In 1994, the Port
Authority installed (at its own expense) a repeater system to
enhance FDNY radio communications in the difficult high-rise
environment of the Twin Towers. It was recommended that the
repeater system be kept on at all times. However, the FDNY
requested that the repeater system be turned on only when it was
actually needed because the channel could cause interference with
other FDNY operations in Lower Manhattan.
Communications Problems on September 11, 2001
According to The 9/11 Commission Report, “Almost
immediately after the South Tower was hit, senior FDNY chiefs in the
North Tower lobby huddled to discuss strategy for the operations in
the two towers. Of particular concern to the chiefs—in light of
FDNY difficulties in responding to the 1993 bombing—was
communications capability"... |
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(CLICK HERE for link to FULL
ARTICLE...)
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About Our Sponsor:
LGC Wireless is a leading supplier of products for optimizing the
deployment of metropolitan cellular, PCS and UMTS networks, and for
providing mobile users with reliable in-building access to high quality
voice and wireless data. LGC has provided wireless solutions in some of
the world’s landmark properties –Heathrow Airport, the Petronas Towers,
the New York airports, and the 2002 Winter Games venues. For
more information, visit
www.lgcwireless.com.
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ABANDONED CABLING SEMINAR
NEXT
STOP
--
Oct. 21, 2004 Miami, FL
(hosted by BOMA Miami-Dade)
(contact
BOMA Miami-Dade for registration information, 305-530-0083)
CRE Partners
has teamed with industry experts to offer a comprehensive 3-hour
course on the requirements of the 2002 NEC and its affect on
day-to-day building operations. The seminar covers the
code language, requirements for removal of abandoned cabling,
rules regarding permitting cabling, legal and insurance issues,
cabling fire safety, audits and abatement, estimated expenses,
and more.
(More
Information, Sample Agenda...)
If you
represent a local BOMA, CREW, IREM, or other group and you are
interested in hosting a seminar for your members or for
your company, please contact us at
seminars@crepartners.com
or call 703-444-5720.
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NEC Seminar Series -- Target Cities and Tentative Schedule
•
Atlanta, GA -- February 25, 2004 - hosted by BOMA-Atlanta
(completed)
•
Washington, DC -- June 17, 2004 - hosted by The Mark Winkler Co.
(completed)
• Orange County, CA -- September 13, 2004 - hosted by
BOMA-Orange County (completed)
• Philadelphia, PA -- September 23, 2004
- hosted by BOMA-Philadelphia (completed)
•
Orlando / Miami, FL --
October 21, 2004 - hosted by BOMA Miami-Dade
• Dallas, TX
-- February, 2005 - hosted by Dallas BOMA
. . .Coming
soon to Washington DC, Houston, Chicago, New York and Boston
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IN-BUILDING WIRELESS CONFERENCE
October 19-20, Orlando, FL
Now in its 7th
successful year, IIR’s In-Building Wireless Conference
continues to track the rapidly expanding market opportunities for
in-building wireless connectivity. Each year, IIR updates the focus
of this event to stay in line with advances in the wireless industry
and to keep up-to-date on new solutions available in the market.
You’ll hear from top real estate owners such as Akridge, Crescent,
Equity Office, Liberty Property Trust, and Trizec Properties, about
their in-building wireless strategies and experiences.
This year,
as in-building wireless becomes more commonplace, we will evaluate the
potential for in-building wireless systems to evolve into the next
utility. By incorporating the perspective of not just wireless
carriers, but building owners, property developers, the government,
and third party solution providers, we provide a clear picture of the
direction of this dynamic market. Please join us for the In-Building
Wireless Conference, October 19-20 in Orlando, Florida at the Gaylord
Palms Resort and Convention Center.
Visit
www.iir-inbuilding.com for more information. For a
15% discount, use CRE Partners' priority
code E2100SPEAKEM.
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Upcoming Industry Events
•
CREW Annual Convention, October 13-16, Toronto, Canada
www.crewnetwork.org
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IFMA World Workplace Conf. & Expo, Oct. 17-19, Salt Lake City,
UT
www.worldworkplace.org
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IIR In-Building Wireless Show, October 19-20, Orlando, FL
www.iirusa.com
•
IREM Educational Conference, November 19-20, Nashville, TN
www.irem.org
•
BOMA Winter Business Meeting, January 22-27, 2005, Washington,
DC www.boma.org
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