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The FDNY deployed 200 units (half of the department) to the site, whose efforts were supplemented by numerous off-duty firefighters.
NYPD Emergency Service Units (ESU) and other police personnel,along with numerous EMTs rushed to the scene.NYPD helicopters
were soon at the scene, reporting on the status of the burning buildings. Though, FDNY commanders lacked communication with
the NYPD, as well as with 9-1-1 dispatchers to provide good situation awareness.FDNY commanders also had difficulties communicating
evacuation orders to firefighters inside the towers due to malfunctioning repeater systems in the World Trade Center.
Within hours of the attack, a massive search and rescue (SAR) operation was launched. Initially, only a handful of wounded
people were found at the site, and in the weeks that followed it became evident that there were no survivors to be found.
Rescue and recovery efforts took months to complete. It took several weeks to simply put out the fires burning in the rubble
of the buildings, although there was smoldering and smoke for 99 days, before the fire was completely out. The clean-up was
not completed until May 2002. Temporary wooden "viewing platforms" were set up for tourists to view construction
crews clearing out the gaping holes where the towers once stood. All of these platforms were closed on May 30, 2002.
Many relief funds were immediately set up to assist victims of the attacks, with the task of providing financial assistance
to the survivors and the families of victims. By the deadline for victim's compensation, September 11, 2003, 2,833 applications
had been received from the families of those killed.
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