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Yesterday morning, the FDNY, NYPD, Port Authority Police, Office of Emergency Management and additional agencies converged on the World Trade Center PATH station in lower Manhattan to participate in a full-scale exercise—Operation Safe PATH 2009— to test their response to an improvised explosive device detonation. While PATH service was suspended and the immediate area were closed off to vehicular and pedestrian traffic, over 800 emergency responders, plus 150 volunteers who portrayed victims, participated in the drill, which involved two (simulated) explosions that occurred on a NJ-bound PATH train about 1000-1200 feet into the tunnel.
The Office of Emergency Management and Port Authority oversaw the exercise, which has been in the works for many months. The response was staged, so the agencies weren't being evaluated on response time. The main goal, OEM Commissioner Joseph Bruno explained, was "to evaluate is the ability of all these agencies to work together," and, in the scenario, communications from the train were damaged. Additionally, the responders had to deal with two things simultaneously: The life saving operations as well as the investigation of the explosion. Indeed, police officers were interviewing the volunteers who portrayed PATH passengers and were made-up to look injured.
Port Authority Executive Director Christopher Ward declared, "You can never be too prepared." And Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler said, "If we're going to make mistakes we want to make them here, we want to learn from them, we want to build them into our plans, so when there is a real situation we respond appropriately and all the kinks in the system have been worked out."
Fire Chief Joseph Pfeifer, who is in charge of Counter-Terrorism for the FDNY, said that one innovation the FDNY used in the exercise were lightweight, aluminum rail carts. The carts fit right on the tracks, enabling firefighters to transport victims who might not be able to walk themselves. Similar carts were used in the London Underground after the 2005 bombing; this is the first time the FDNY has used them. The FDNY also set up video cameras, on the PATH tracks and in the station, feeding a live picture to a FDNY command truck and the Mayor's office.
This is the largest drill held at the WTC site, but the OEM has conducted others, including one at Penn Station in 2007 and one involving 2,000 participants at Shea Stadium in 2004. The agencies will review the response and determine the various strengths and weaknesses. Deputy Police Commissioner of Counter-Terrorism Richard Falkenrath said the NYPD would discuss the exercise internally but added, "I did see some things that surprised me. There are things we still need to work on." Still, Bruno believes response is in a "totally different place" than on September 11 and that the city is more prepared.
When asked if the Air Force One flyover prompted the OEM and Port Authority to make sure PATH commuters and downtown Manhattan residents knew about the drill (ads, signs, PATH announcements, and more were used to get out the word), Bruno said of course, "We would not want folks to wake up here and see all this equipment and wonder."
However, some people trying to take the PATH to NJ didn't realize there was a drill. A girl, headed to get her prom dress, called her mother to find out what was happening (a fire marshal later told her it was a drill) while a group of young men who spent Saturday night (and Sunday morning) partying in Manhattan waited for PATH service to resume while cracking jokes. One asked, "Were the Ghostbusters here? Did they have this under control?"
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Second picture with glass protruding out of guys forehead: He's an extra from Rob Zombie's new film.
Everyone else: Complicit in the culture of fear.
Ridiculous comment. I gather you would rather the first responders not conduct drills to be prepared in the event something should happen? I guess you didn't hear about London or Madrid.
i used to pretend to be a car accident victim for emt training in nj when i was younger and these practices really do help the responders - and also taught me a lot about what to expect from my first responders when something happens to me
Were you anywhere near NYC on 9/11?
Yes, I was on the subway during 9/11, going to work. I saw the towers ablaze when I got out of the subway. It was a devastating tragedy. And no doubt emergency drills are important. But there is ongoing municipal and governmental procedures throughout this country which perpetuate the culture of fear. This is not a new theory.
You know what would make the USA safer? Uprooting our foreign policy, stop supporting Israel's terrorism against the Palestinians, and getting our military out of other peoples lands. Stop killing civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq. Talk about tragedies...these two places need more emergency drills in response to the US Military than we do. Sorry, but that's the truth.
True, but until this happens - and I am not holding my breath, sad to say - it doesn't help to be prepared.
In agreement with you, bin Laden said that the 9/11 attack was the DIRECT result of the lopsided pro-Israel policy and neglect of the Palestinians by the US government, yet not only Bush and the CIA but most Americans ignored this explicit message.
Bin Laden also denied having a role in the attacks until 2004, when he suddenly changed course and claimed he personally directed them.
He'll say whatever is necessary to entice people to follow him.
You seem to be confusing two issues, one relating to foreign policy and the other being preparedness in response to disaster. If all emergency drills "perpetuate the culture of fear," then every building fire simulation does the same.
Drills like this about helping those who have to act in response to such disasters be prepared. It's your choice whether to be fearful or not.
Rocknrope, agreed about the general importance of drills...My point is that US actions (internationally) and the procedures we put in place (domestically) perpetuates xenophobic attitudes towards immigrants, Arabs, Muslims, etc. 9/11 would not have occurred if US foreign policy did not support our government's corrupt greed for power and hegemony. It is a cycle, and these drills are reactionary. If the US concentrated on foreign policy reform that is based on justice, equality, and human dignity, then we wouldn't need to do these mock terrorist attack drills.
Cartoons can also get you in trouble. Ask the Danish.
I hear what you're saying, but I have to disagree. While I understand your point about US foreign policy resulting in the cycle of enemy/ally posturing indicative of our government over the last 50 years, the preparedness issue for city and local authorities is independent of that. Solving for the former will not eliminate the need for the latter.
Remember, Oklahoma City was a domestic terrorist situation, and carried out by three white American citizens.
Point taken.
great pictures, kind of scary though :(
Emergency response drills are routine and important. However, what turned this one into yet another display of Panty Piddling Paranoia is that the simulated disaster was a bomb explosion. Something like a derailment or collision would have been much more realistic.
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Were you anywhere near NYC on 9/11?
One noteworthy thing about the 9/11 emergency response is that there were very few actual rescues. People either got out of danger on their own, or died.