Tulsa Fire Chief Details The Changes To Fire, Emergency Response In The Years Since 9/11

23 years ago this week, our country was forever changed when the terrorist attacks struck New York City, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. First responders raced to the scene to try and save lives.

Tulsa's Fire Chief Michael Baker is here to talk about how things have changed in fire service since the 2001 attack.

LeAnne: Obviously, tomorrow is the 23rd anniversary, and we're going to be showing some video of that day in the days to follow. So just be aware that this might bring up a lot of emotions, but we were just saying in the commercial break, where were you that day?

Baker: So I was a firefighter at station 27 over at East 31st street, just east of Garnett, and so remember just what seemed to be a beautiful day and watching the events unfold on television, thinking to myself, even though I hadn't been on the fire department very long, that I knew something was going to change. I knew our world would change forever.

LeAnne: When we look at these pictures. And of course, so many people fleeing that scene, right? But all the first responders moving toward it, correct? That is, that is the job of a firefighter, a police officer, an EMT, yes, but it's still hard to even fathom.

Baker: It is inconceivable. And, you know, there's been a lot of stories written about the event that day, and one of the things that I always go back to is the family members that had to, you know, in command roles there at the building, having to send their family members up those flights of stairs to rescue people not knowing or knowing that they would lose them. And so we lost 343, FDNY members that day. Tomorrow morning, Tulsa firefighters will and those from around the region will climb stairs downtown to honor their memory, but the tragedy really lives on among that department and those people who responded. This is the first time that cancer deaths from people associated with that event have exceeded the number of firefighters lost. So we're over 350 deaths due to cancer, and we lost 343, firefighters that day,

LeAnne: And that can be a direct connection to going into those buildings.

Baker: The rescue and recovery effort. They've identified so many chemicals that were in the construction of those towers, and those folks that were in there trying to save and identify remains and save their loved ones and search for victims were all exposed to that. You see folks wearing masks and things, but it still didn't protect them, right?

LeAnne: What have we learned? What are the takeaways?

Baker: So the fire service has really improved a lot based on the events. That's great. We can show some progress. Really, there are three main things. First off, is we noted that communications radios were not effective at the scene, and so since then, radio technology has improved. Tulsa Fire Department has equipment to help us work and boost our signals inside high-rise buildings. Secondly, you have education, so part of the problem was the command system in the 911 report was, was judgmental of the command system that was there and how interagency among operations, between EMS and fire and law enforcement was, may or may not be perfect. So since then, we have really pushed education on the command level, at all levels, really in the fire service, on how to command incidents and how to work collaboratively with other responding agencies. And last but not least is really the focus on homeland security across the board, we look more interior, and we showed photos of wildfires earlier and preparedness. And how are we prepared domestically for events, and then how the fire departments have prepared to do search and rescue. Tulsa has a use our task force that's aligned with the state, the same tools, technology, and training as our national level partners, we have canine search dogs now, and so we have the capacity, whether it's a tornado, ice storm, or active care, to really save our victims of responders and folks that are victims of that.

LeAnne: The New York City attacks, you know, brought back so much from Oklahoma City and what we had here just before that, in 1995 and I know that our people reached out to a lot of the folks. The relationship, I mean, you are a brotherhood, a sisterhood, but it reached beyond that. Just because of that experience.

Baker: It does. I mean, we donated, you know, folks in Oklahoma collected for the Spirit of Oklahoma fire apparatus that was sent to FDNY to use because they lost so many vehicles that day, and that now that vehicle is back in Tulsa, and so the museum Tulsa fire Museum is working hard to get a display and make sure that folks can see that legacy and have our own piece of that event here.

LeAnne: So we don't forget exactly before we wrap up, though, you have some updated information on arson, you want to relay that information.

Baker: Just want to shout out to the Tulsa fire investigations team and the arson investigators made an arrest. There was a fire yesterday morning, about just before 6 am at the 1000 block of East 64th Street. The firefighters found that it was an intentional fire. We had a suspect. Tulsa fire investigators on duty yesterday tracked down that suspect, and after a brief pursuit, after looking for them, within 12 hours, they were in custody and booked on first-degree felony arson charges. So incredible work by that team to get an arrest, do that hard work within 12 hours and have someone in jail for threatening the lives of others. Absolutely. We always appreciate what you do, and the men and women in the fire department