J.R. Lawson, Project Leader

Building and Fire Research Laboratory

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

U.S. Department of Commerce

jlawson@nist.gov

Federal Building and Fire Safety Investigation 

of the World Trade Center Disaster

Status of Project #8: Fire Service 

Technologies and Guidelines

August 26, 2003
Project Staff Project Staff

NIST Staff:Randall Lawson, Project LeaderRobert Vettori, Fire Protection Engineer/Career Fire OfJason Averill, Fire Protection EngineerExpert Consultants:Vincent Dunn, Retired Chief, FDNYJohn Hodgens, Retired Chief, FDNYKevin Malley, Retired Director of Human PerformanceExpert consultants provide NIST with unique knowledgand insight related to emergency responder training, reoperations policy, on-scene operations, response techand communications, on 9/11/01. 
Purpose

Build upon work already done by the Fire Depaof New York (FDNY) and McKinsey & Company (1) Documenting what happened during the respoby the fire service to the attacks on the World Tradup to the time of collapse of WTC 7(2) Identifying issues that need to be addressed in to practices, standards, and codes(3) Identifying alternative practices and/or technolomay address these issues(4) Identifying R&D needs that advance the safety fire service in responding to massive fires in tall bu
Technical Issues to be Investigated

• Occupant behavior and evacuation technologies and practices for 

buildings (Project 7)

• Decision-making and situation awareness• Time-constrained evacuation strategies (e.g., defend-in-place)

• Role of floor wardens and fire safety directors• Issues concerning people with disabilities• Human factors issues and design of egress system

• Firefighting technologies and practices for tall buildings

• Means for emergency access, time to reach affected floors• Firefighting versus evacuation• Physical condition of firefighter under high-rise work conditions

• Situation awareness

• Command, control, and communication systems for emergency re

• Content and timing and quality of communications, among occupants and au

within and outside buildings, intra and inter group communications

• Observations of fire and smoke conditions, structural damage, wa

liquid fuel from aircraft (Project 7)
Approach Approach

y Recreate the emergency response on 9/11/01 w

focus on evacuation and fire fighting

Desired Outcome• Enhanced emergency response capabilities• Enhanced safety of first responders
Emergency Response Factors To Be Stu

Emergency Response Factors To Be Stu

y First Responders - dispatch, deployment, operations

fatalities/injuries

y Physical Assets - dispatch, deployment, operations, y Command and Control - command posts, staging, de

management, accountability

y Communications - design, installation, operations, 

interoperability

y Operational Policies and Procedures - mobilization, 

high-rise operations, safety, inspection, enforcement

y Preparedness - training, equipment, logistics, field s

exercises
Tasks

1. Data Collection (FDNY, NYPD, PANYNJ/PAPD)

y Documentsy Photographs and videosy Electronic data (audio communications)

2. Field Interviews (approximately 125 - 200)

y FDNY - Fire Fighters, EMS, Officers (Company & Comy NYPD - Police Emergency Service Units, Police Aviatio

Command Post Officers

y PANYNJ/PAPD - Officers, Commanders, Safety Perso

Security Personnel

3. Recreation and Analysis

y Detailed Timeline of Eventsy Visual Representation of Disaster Sitey Analyze emergency response factors
Current Data Collection * Current Data Collection *

DOCUMENTS:• Human Data: Fatality Lists, Injury Lists, Emotional Stress 

Statistics, Surviving Personnel Lists

• Operations Data: Dispatch Lists; Unit Operations Reports, CD 

Equipment Loss Lists; Training; High-Rise BElevator Use SOP’s; Helicopter Roof Rescue SOP’s; Design and Operation of CommunicaSystems; Incident Command Policies

PHOTOGRAPHIC:• Hundreds of still photographs, and tens of video tapesELECTRONIC:• 1000+ hours of audio recordings of radio communications and telephon

communications

* Additional materials pending.
Field Interviews Field Interviews

1. Face-to-Face Interviews

• Interviews by contractor using generic intervie

protocol (75 - 150): document observed effec

• Interviews by NIST staff using investigative in

protocol (50 - 60): identify causal factors (why

2. Focus Group Interviews

• Interviews by contractor using generic focus g

protocol (10 focus groups of 5 each)
Reviews and Approvals Reviews and Approvals

1. Contractor IRB + NIST approval2. NIST IRB for NIST interviews3. Certificate of Confidentially from the Dep

of Health and Human Services
y Categories of information collection

1. Dispatch and arrival2. Entry3. Communications and encounters4. Building conditions5. Training and equipment6. Other

y Develop keyword searchable data basey Data analysis using the same computer based tools as 

Project #7

Contractor Conducted Interviews: Contractor Conducted Interviews:

Semi-structured generic protocol structured generic protocol 

(Document observed effects or what) (Document observed effects or what)
NIST Conducted Interviews: NIST Conducted Interviews:

Investigative Lead Investigative Lead

-Following Protocol Following Protocol 

(Identify Causal Factors or Why) (Identify Causal Factors or Why)

y Targeted interviews of people with knowledge in the following

categories: (4 to 8 people per category)

1. Operational policies and procedures2. Dispatch, deployment3. Communications4. Incident command, control, command posts, personnel accountab

fighter health and safety

5. Emergency response equipment and technology6. Elevator operations in high-rise buildings7. High-rise building operations and procedures, fire fighting, search 

rescue before the towers fell, evacuation, roof operations and avia

y Develop keyword searchable databasey Data analysis protocols - Fire Fighter Line-of-Duty Death & Injury In

IAFF; NFPA 921, Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations
Recreation and Analysis Approach Recreation and Analysis Approach

Review, Compare, and Analyze:

y Documentary datay Photographic datay Electronic datay Data from first-person interviews

Develop:

y Detailed Timeline of Eventsy Visual Representation of Disaster Sitey Assessment of Emergency Response Factors

Derive:

y Findingsy Conclusionsy Recommendations
Advisory Committee Feedback Advisory Committee Feedback

• Overall goals and objectives• Data collection, review, and analysis 

approach

• Other ideas or suggestions?