Homeland Security

DATE=5/18/04

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=N-Y / 9-11 HEARING (L-O)

NUMBER=2-316014

BYLINE=KERRY SHERIDAN

DATELINE=NEW YORK

INTRO: The commission investigating the response to the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York says communications failures, the lack of an adequate evacuation plan and rivalry between police and fire departments made rescue efforts more difficult. Kerry Sheridan reports from V-O-A's New York Bureau.

TEXT: The hearings began with an emotional reconstruction of the events on the morning of September 11th, from the moment the first tower was struck by a hijacked airliner to when the second tower collapsed.

In a film shown to the panel and an audience that included family members of those killed, fire chief Joseph Pfeifer described running away from the North Tower seconds before it collapsed.

/// PFEIFER ACT ///

At this point we heard a loud roar again and someone yelled that the building was collapsing. And we started to run. And in bunker gear you can't run too far. Especially when the building is a quarter of a mile high. And what happened inside the building now happened outside. This beautiful sunny day now turned completely black.

/// END ACT ///

/// BEGIN OPT ///

Joseph Pfeifer's brother, fire lieutenant Kevin Pfeifer, was among those who perished in the attacks. He continued.

/// 2nd PFEIFER ACT ///

That day we lost two thousand-752 in the Trade Center and 343 were firefighters. But we also saved 25-thousand people and that's what people should remember.

/// END ACT ///

/// END OPT ///

Then, heated exchanges began, as city officials faced tough questions from the commission panel as to why the response and rescue effort wasn't better coordinated.

The former head of the World Trade Department of the Port Authority, Alan Reiss (pronounced: REESE) said he had not received any information from the F-B-I that Islamic militants inside the United States might consider using airplanes to attack buildings in New York City.

One commission member, former U-S senator Bob Kerrey, asked if he was angry at the federal authorities for not providing more information to help with preparedness.

/// REISS-KERREY ACT ///

Reiss: Perhaps, but I really don't feel anger at the F-B-I. I feel anger at 19 people in an airplane.

Kerrey: Well I appreciate that very much, as do I, but these 19 people got documents and got into the United States of America, they defeated the I-N-S, they defeated the Customs [Department], they defeated the F-B-I, they defeated the C-I-A, they hijacked four American airplanes (applause).

/// END ACT ///

Commission investigators also said rivalry between police and fire officials interfered with the evacuation effort, because the two weren't working together. Commission member John Lehman asked the city's former police and fire commissioners why there wasn't a single authority overseeing all public response in case of emergency.

/// LEHMAN ACT ///

I agree with you all that we certainly have the finest police and fire department and port authority police anywhere in the world. And as you said Mr. Sheirer, they're the proudest. But pride runneth before the fall. And I think that the command and control and communications of this city's public service is a scandal. [Applause]

/// END ACT ///

Former Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen reacted strongly.

/// VON ESSEN ACT ///

You make it sound like everything was wrong about September 11th or the way we functioned. I think it's outrageous that you make a statement like that. We had thousands of fires, thousands of fires, thousands of fires where our operations worked - where we worked together. Hundreds of collapses and operations where we worked together with the police department.

/// END ACT ///

The hearing continues Wednesday, with testimony from former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and the current mayor, Michael Bloomberg. (SIGNED)

NEB/NYC/KS/BJS/RH/MEM