Atlanta's First Responders Say They're Prepared for 9/11 Scale Attack

By Martha Dalton

Atlanta – The 9/11 commission issued a 10th anniversary report card last week, citing communication among first responders as an area that still "needs improvement."
WABE's Martha Dalton spoke with some of Atlanta's first responders to see if their communication system can handle an event of that scale.

Millions of dollars have been spent upgrading Atlanta's communication systems since the 9/11 attacks. Dr. Leon Haley is the Chief of Emergency Medicine for Grady Health System, which is Atlanta's regional coordinating hospital [in case of a disaster] :
"I'm comfortable that the communication has improved since 9/11. Now, whether or not I can say it's perfect and pristine I think is really sort of always a question mark. In any disaster, communication is still a challenge."
But, Haley says, Atlanta's first responders are consistently being put to the test:
"We have had some disaster sort of impact our systems all the time. Which really goes to we need to be ready all the time.' You know, 9/11 was really a little bit of a wake-up call, but Mother Nature continues to ring the bell."
That's echoed by Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran. He says Atlanta's communication systems have also been well-tested recently by the tornado in 2008, the floods in 2009, and the snowstorm last January.
"Those same systems will be used for even a no-notice human-caused event, and that's what gives us the confidence that we'll be able to respond effectively if we were to experience a no-notice event, like a terrorist attack."
Cochran says that's a drastic improvement. He says communication between Atlanta's different departments is much better than it was a decade ago.
Deputy Chief Renee Propes, of the Atlanta Police Department, agrees. She says consistent drills and dry runs between police, fire, and medical units have make responding to disasters second-nature:
"We all respond together; we all know our roles. We practice it through table tops, we practice it through planned events like the Peachtree Road Race and the New Years Eve events, so that we are in an automatic mode."
As the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks approaches, some departments will add extra staff members and keep a close eye on the airport and well-populated activities. But they all stress the importance of being prepared for the unexpected on a daily basis. And if that day comes, they say, they'll be ready.