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NYPD helicopters and ESU officers remained on the scene throughout the
morning, prepared to commence rescue operations on the roof if conditions
improved. Both FDNY and NYPD protocols called for FDNY personnel to
be placed in NYPD helicopters in the event of an attempted rooftop rescue at
a high-rise fire. No FDNY personnel were placed in NYPD helicopters on
September 11.
66
The 911 operators and FDNY dispatchers were not advised that rooftop
rescues were not being undertaken.They thus were not able to communicate
this fact to callers, some of whom spoke of attempting to climb to the roof.
67
Two on-duty NYPD officers were on the 20th floor of the North Tower at
8:46.They climbed to the 29th floor, urging civilians to evacuate, but did not
locate a group of civilians trapped on the 22nd floor.
68
Just before 9:00, an ESU team began to walk from Church and Vesey to the
North Tower lobby, with the goal of climbing toward and setting up a triage
center on the upper floors for the severely injured.A second ESU team would
follow them to assist in removing those individuals.
69
Numerous officers responded in order to help injured civilians and to urge
those who could walk to vacate the area immediately. Putting themselves in
danger of falling debris, several officers entered the plaza and successfully res-
cued at least one injured, nonambulatory civilian, and attempted to rescue
others.
70
Also by about 9:00, transit officers began shutting down subway stations
in the vicinity of the World Trade Center and evacuating civilians from those
stations.
71
Around the city, the NYPD cleared major thoroughfares for emergency
vehicles to access the WTC.The NYPD and PAPD coordinated the closing of
bridges and tunnels into Manhattan.
72
PAPD Initial Response
The Port Authority's on-site commanding police officer was standing in the
concourse when a fireball erupted out of elevator shafts and exploded onto the
mall concourse, causing him to dive for cover. The on-duty sergeant initially
instructed the officers in the WTC Command to meet at the police desk in 5
WTC. Soon thereafter, he instructed officers arriving from outside commands
to meet him at the fire safety desk in the North Tower lobby. A few of these
officers from outside commands were given WTC Command radios.
73
One Port Authority police officer at the WTC immediately began climb-
ing stairwell C in the North Tower.
74
Other officers began performing res-
cue and evacuation operations on the ground floors and in the PATH (Port
Authority Trans-Hudson) station below the WTC complex.
Within minutes of impact, Port Authority police officers from the PATH,
bridges, tunnels, and airport commands began responding to the WTC. The
PAPD lacked written standard operating procedures for personnel responding
from outside commands to the WTC during a major incident. In addition, offi-
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