Summary of the event and responses from police and other agencies

September 11, 2001 remains a historic day to the American and the world as a whole. This is the day when Islamic militias carried out the greatest terrorists attacks in the United States. Nobody could have expected that the United States, with its global influence and military capacity, would be a victim of terrorist attacks.  The attackers hijacked four airliners where two were used to attack the World Trade Centre in New York; another was used to hit the Pentagon in Washington D.C. while the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania, presumably before reaching the intended target. It is believed that more than 3,000 people died as a result of the attack while properties worth of several billion dollars were also destroyed.

The response to the attack was swift where even members of the responding agencies also died in the attack. Various responding agencies including; the New York Fire Department, New York Police Department, New York City Office of Emergency Management and the New York Port Authority all responded swiftly to the attack.  It is deemed that more approximately 235 fire fighters, 21 engine companies, nine ladder companies, four elite rescue teams, a hazmat team were some of the agencies  involved in the rescue process. According to the information from the police chief, the rescue process also involved approximately 22 lieutenants, 100 sergeants and 800 police officers. In essence, the different responding agencies exhibited steady determination and sacrifice despite the horrifying and overwhelming conditions. It is prudent to point that their actions saved life and were an inspiration to the nation.

Roles within the command structure

The different areas of attack called for an organized command structure to ensure that all the areas of attack got the necessary response. For instance, the pentagon is located in the Arlington County and hence all the rescue operations in this area were under the command of the Arlington County Police Department. On the other hand, the New York Police took charge of the rescue operations at the Twin towers. Due to the different agencies involved in the rescue operations, it was deemed fit to have the institution of Incident Commander who would maintain final authority of the decisions made.  The Incident Command System was vital in the response to this event because of its complicated nature. The different rescue agencies developed a close working relationship that ensures the whole rescue process was successful.

Emergency management leadership theories utilized in the event

As aforementioned, the September 11 attacks were unpredictable since the whole world would not expect a global super power to be a victim of terrorist attack. The magnitude of the attack demanded swift response to ensure public safety. It was therefore essential to have emergency managers who would ensure precise and effective rescue operations. For instance, management systems theory and emergency management are some of the theories evident in the response to the event. As aforementioned, the rescue process after the attack was a multi-discipline activity that involved the police, military, fire fighters and other personnel. Although the event was unexpected, the different arms were able create a critical understanding that helped carry out an inclusive emergency management process.  There was great sense of unity amongst the different groups involved in the rescue operation. Effective emergency response and recovery is dependent on cooperation between local public agencies, business enterprises, and community groups.  All these requirements are wel covered in the systems theory and emergency management theory which were evident in the response to the September 11 attack.  Contingency theory and approach is also another emergency theory notable in the response efforts by different organs involved after the attack.

Leadership and the community as part of emergency management incident process

In any emergency, leaders must show preparedness to ensure that members of the community do not suffer adversely from such eventualities. The community suffers most in cases of emergency and it is therefore prudent to include them in the emergency management process. This involves planning, training, equipping and exercising emergency response as a community. It is however worth noting that the community affected by the September 11 attacks were not equipped, trained or involved in any emergency response exercise. In fact it is said that most of the fatalities experienced during the attack were of those people trying to jump from the targeted buildings.  With better community preparedness, then the emergency response exercises would be more efficient and effective.

The media during, before, and after the crisis

Handling communication is an important aspect in emergency management. It is prudent to have a comprehensive plan for handling communication before, during and after a crisis. For instance, the leadership must ensure that there is constant supply of information that will serve as a warning to the people in the surrounding areas to avoid the areas affected by the crisis. Also, it is important to have the operation’s spokesperson that will ensure that only confirmed information is conveyed to the public. Failure to designate a contact person can lead to confusion to the general public.  After the crisis, it is important to have a contact centre where the community can seek clarifications either on missing persons or any other queries that may arise.

How emergency management training could have assisted in the rescue operation during the attack

The 9/11 attack happened as a surprise not only to the Americans but to the world as whole. Nevertheless, the 1998 bombing of American embassies in Kenya should have served as a warning and hence be prepared for any eventuality. For all this time, the country should have engaged in emergency management training and this would have assisted in making the response swifter and more productive. The number deaths resulting from the attacks would be somehow managed.  With more training, the CIA would have expanded capabilities that would help deal with the emergency through increased personnel and ability to collect more intelligence.  The FBI and other government organs would be more prepared to either avert the attack or respond swiftly to the attack. More training would ensure that there was shared information was shared and thus duties would be assigned across agencies which would mean efficiency in the response program.

Ethical challenges in the event

It is prudent to note that the September 11 attack was mainly due to complacency and unethical behaviors from varied department in the US. For instance, it is difficult to explain how the hijackers of the aero planes got to the American soil.  It is evident that there was collaboration with these terrorists where passports were manipulated for the hijackers to gain entry.  The aviation security can also be blamed for the deadly attack as they allowed the hijackers pass their security systems without being detected. Also sources of the finances for this terror group are another ethical challenge that is of paramount importance.   It is therefore a challenge for the US authority to ensure that all these ethical issues are effectively addressed to avoid a repeat of the deadly event. The immigration and homeland security should be looked afresh to ensure that the event of terrorism and other emergencies are dealt with effectively.

References

Arlington County, VA. (2002). After Action Report on the Response to the September 11 Terrorist Attack on the Pentagon.  Titan Systems Corporation.

Harrald, John R., Barbera, J., Renda-Tanali, I.R., Coppola, D, and Shaw, G.L. (2002). Observing and Documenting the Interorganizational Response to the September 11 attack on the Pentagon. Proceedings, 9th Annual Conference of TIEMS. Waterloo, Canada. Pp. 32-4. http://www.seas.gwu.edu/~icdm/nsf_9_11.htm.

National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. (2004). 9/11 Commission Report. W.W. Norton and Company.

Rubin, C. (2012). Emergency management. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

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