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The pleas for help from those trapped in the towers on 9/11 were echoed by each of us parents, siblings, and friends as we tried to find answers about why our loved ones had to die. Instead of answers we were dealt another painful blow by Federal Judge Hellerstein. He asked us to justify why he should allow the question to be decided on whether our loves ones’ radios did or did not work.
We left the courthouse on Pearl Street that day dejected, but determined to find the answer to this question. It is essential other firefighters and first responders will not fall without reason and without the benefit of fore-warning. The failure of our radios was at the very least a blunder, and at worst, fraud and corruption.
Almost a year after that tragic day, the City released the McKinsey Report which startled us with its revelation that firefighters in the towers continued to climb the stairs after repeated may-days and evacuation calls were made. Then, and even clearer now, is that firefighters carried handie-talkie radios that did not work in high-rise buildings. The haunting question is, why?
As we look back on the years and months leading up to this catastrophe, the missteps of those responsible for providing suitable equipment were blatant. After the 1993 World Trade Center bombings, an FDNY commissioned report confirmed the same radios used on 9/11 were inadequate and had actually failed the firefighters. Replacement radios were purchased, but that process was also tainted.
In the spring of 2001, the City Comptroller issued an opinion that procurement laws were broken, and the replacement radios were sole-sourced from the same vendor. Even though more than $14-million was spent, the replacement radios didn’t work either. They lasted barely one week before being recalled. Again, we hit the brick wall of, why?
Judge Hellerstein asked us, “Why did it matter?” He said we were compensated for our losses, implying the answer didn’t matter. But it
does, so very much. He fails to consider the haunting memories of our beloved sons and brothers rising into the smoke and flames without ever knowing an order had been issued for them to descend. That can never be satisfied by monetary compensation. And so, we press on, despite the difficulty of not having subpoena power and oversight by our United States judicial system.
We learned that neither the handie-talkies used on 9/11, nor their high-tech recalled replacements, could have worked in high-rise buildings. We have learned that the FDNY was the only uniformed service that lost men inside the North tower.
As of January 2007, the City had spent $1 billion on infrastructure that will, when completed, carry the signals of first responder radio communications. This is the same technology that needed to be and could have been in place to carry the signal of the replacement radios recalled in the spring of 2001.
Who made these decisions? What was their motivation? Having been cast out of court, because we submitted claims to the Victims Compensation Fund, we still want to know if there was wrong-doing, and if so, does it continue? Did it begin and end at the turn of the century, and does it stop in New York City? We deserve answers to these questions. It is a matter of life and death.
Your own safety may someday rely on the answers to this question – Why? Can you help us with information or financial support? If so, each of us ask that you act today, for none of us knew what to expect on September 11, 2001.
- Al and Maureen Santora
- Rosaleen and Eileen Tallon
- Russell and Joyce Mercer
- Sally Regenhard
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