FDNY warns of attack similar to 2008 Mumbai
Modal Trigger
On Nov. 29, 2008, an Indian soldier takes cover as the
Taj Mahal hotel burns during a gun battle between Indian military and
militants inside the hotel in Mumbai. Photo: AP
The FDNY is gearing up for a terrorist strike in which fire
would be used as a weapon to engulf the city, fearing a repeat of the
2008 attacks in Mumbai, where coordinated bombings and shootings sparked
blazes and wreaked havoc.
Calling such attacks a “game changer” and a “new model for terrorist attacks,” FDNY Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer warned Wednesday that the city is still figuring out how to prepare for that perilous situation.
“Interest in using fire as either a strategic or tactical weapon has not been well understood and largely ignored to date,” Pfeifer said at a City Council hearing on counterterrorism. “However, it is a weapon that could significantly alter the dynamics of a terrorist attack.”
Pfeifer recalled how Pakistani terrorists held 166 people hostage by plotting attacks at multiple locations over three days.
He compared the iconic image of victims trapped inside the Taj Mahal hotel while it was engulfed in flames to the destruction of the Twin Towers on 9/11.
“The salient features of a Mumbai-style attack include multiple terrorists, multiple targets and multiple modes of attack deployed over a prolonged operational period to amplify media attention,” Pfeifer said. The Indian terror attack claimed 164 lives.
The FDNY has been working with the NYPD, FBI and State Department Diplomatic Security Services on “full-scale exercises” at the Fire Academy to prepare for a situation that would include multiple armed terrorists, fire and smoke and mass casualties.
“In a Mumbai-type incident, speed is of the essence,” Pfeifer said.
“Not only do you have someone shooting people, but you have fire doubling at a rate over every 90 seconds and you have people bleeding [to get] out. We have a saying, ‘Get the red out.’ We want to get the people out who are bleeding.”
Pfeifer said the Fire Department has performed coordinated exercises with the NYPD that include fire and police supervisors working together to handle a dual fire and active shooter situation.
“One of the challenges of Mumbai was having the heavy weapons capability simultaneous with fire [at different locations] at what perhaps was the same period of time,” said NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller.
“We are currently looking at additional plans to figure out ways to streamline and increase that response in our geographical ability to move quickly.”
Officials said the Department of Homeland Security has awarded the FDNY $560 million to prepare for a terrorist attack involving fire and other threats.
Calling such attacks a “game changer” and a “new model for terrorist attacks,” FDNY Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer warned Wednesday that the city is still figuring out how to prepare for that perilous situation.
“Interest in using fire as either a strategic or tactical weapon has not been well understood and largely ignored to date,” Pfeifer said at a City Council hearing on counterterrorism. “However, it is a weapon that could significantly alter the dynamics of a terrorist attack.”
Pfeifer recalled how Pakistani terrorists held 166 people hostage by plotting attacks at multiple locations over three days.
He compared the iconic image of victims trapped inside the Taj Mahal hotel while it was engulfed in flames to the destruction of the Twin Towers on 9/11.
“The salient features of a Mumbai-style attack include multiple terrorists, multiple targets and multiple modes of attack deployed over a prolonged operational period to amplify media attention,” Pfeifer said. The Indian terror attack claimed 164 lives.
The FDNY has been working with the NYPD, FBI and State Department Diplomatic Security Services on “full-scale exercises” at the Fire Academy to prepare for a situation that would include multiple armed terrorists, fire and smoke and mass casualties.
“In a Mumbai-type incident, speed is of the essence,” Pfeifer said.
“Not only do you have someone shooting people, but you have fire doubling at a rate over every 90 seconds and you have people bleeding [to get] out. We have a saying, ‘Get the red out.’ We want to get the people out who are bleeding.”
Pfeifer said the Fire Department has performed coordinated exercises with the NYPD that include fire and police supervisors working together to handle a dual fire and active shooter situation.
“One of the challenges of Mumbai was having the heavy weapons capability simultaneous with fire [at different locations] at what perhaps was the same period of time,” said NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller.
“We are currently looking at additional plans to figure out ways to streamline and increase that response in our geographical ability to move quickly.”
Officials said the Department of Homeland Security has awarded the FDNY $560 million to prepare for a terrorist attack involving fire and other threats.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment-- or suggestions, particularly of topics and places you'd like to see covered