Never Again: Today's FDNY Is Stronger and Better Prepared
On Sept. 11, 2001, New York City firefighters were not able to communicate with one another, and commanders on the scene didn't know what was going on outside the towers. FDNY and city leaders said, -Never again,' and turned to technology for help.When terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, it was the worst terrorist attack to occur on American soil. In responding to the tragedy that took the lives of 2,823 people, the Fire Department of the City of New York showed extreme heroism in safely evacuating more than 25,000 people. Despite losing 343 firefighters in the aftermath of the attack, the FDNY used all its resources to bring the situation under control, taxing the department's communications and technology assets to the limit. The FDNY and city leaders swore that would never happen again, so they determined to create state-of-the-art communications and IT systems.
As a first step, the FDNY commissioned McKinsey & Co. to evaluate the department's response to the 9/11 attack. The firm made several recommendations, including many designed to help the FDNY improve its communications and technology systems.