FDNY Tests New Wireless Communications System during Drill at 7 WTC

Fire Department members joined officials from the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Port Authority Police Department and Office of Emergency Management on April 29, to test a new wireless system designed to give first responders fast access to video and other information during emergencies.

More than 100 firefighters participated in the drill at 7 World Trade Center, just north of Ground Zero. The exercise simulated a mock high-rise fire, including an elevator rescue, scaffold rescue, 20 mock injuries and staged communication breakdowns.

The Fire Department tested sending surveillance video from the building's 50th floor to the mobile tactical command post outside, a vehicle which relayed the information to other agencies.

The information also was dispatched to the Fire Department's operations center in Brooklyn, allowing them to monitor the scene remotely.