A Comparison of the 1993 and 2001 evacuation of the World Trade Center

After the World Trade Center in New York City was bombed in 1993, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the National Research Council of Canada (NRCC) undertook a study of the evacuation of the towers. This study involved a survey of the participants in the fire safety plan for the towers, including particularly the floor fire wardens. Surveys were sent to a total of 1,598 employees, with over 400 responding. These surveys were the basis of several papers published on the actions and reactions of the occupants of the towers during that evacuation. Immediately after the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, the authors began compiling first-person accounts from the media describing the evacuation of the two towers that day. Although media accounts are not necessarily reliable accounts of events, and certainly do not provide the scientific rigor of a proper study, they do provide important insights into the events of the day. Of particular interest was the role that improvements made after the bombing in 1993 may have had in the evacuation in 2001.Apr\ue8s l'attentat \ue0 la bombe contre les deux tours du World Trade Center de New York City en 1993, la National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) et le Conseil national de recherches du Canada (CNRC) ont entrepris une \ue9tude sur l'\ue9vacuation de l'immeuble. L'\ue9tude comprenait une enqu\ueate aupr\ue8s de l'\ue9quipe de s\ue9curit\ue9-incendie des tours, en particulier les gardiens d'incendie aux \ue9tages. Un questionnaire fut envoy\ue9 \ue0 1 598 employ\ue9s, pour environ 400 r\ue9ponses. Ce questionnaire est \ue0 la base de plusieurs travaux publi\ue9s sur les actions et les r\ue9actions des occupants des tours pendant cette \ue9vacuation. Apr\ue8s l'attaque contre le World Trade Center, le 11 septembre 2001, les auteurs ont imm\ue9diatement commenc\ue9 \ue0 compiler les r\ue9cits \ue0 la premi\ue8re personne que rapportaient les m\ue9dias sur l'\ue9vacuation des deux tours. Bien que ces r\ue9cits ne livrent pas n\ue9cessairement la r\ue9alit\ue9 des \ue9v\ue9nements, ni ne pr\ue9sentent la rigueur d'une v\ue9ritable \ue9tude scientifique, ils donnent ind\ue9niablement d'importantes informations sur les \ue9v\ue9nements survenus ce jour-l\ue0. En particulier, sur l'utilit\ue9 des nouvelles mesures d'\ue9vacuation prises apr\ue8s l'attentat \ue0 la bombe de 1993.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye