Last Saturday New York City experienced one of the worst construction incidents in recent memory. The coverage on television was gripping and the work done by the FDNY again reminded us of why they are among the most respected firefighters in world. The world class professionalism from Chief of Department Cassano to the firefighters in the street was evident in every newscast and made us all proud to be firefighters.

The problem with television is that it does not correctly convey the magnitude of the event. The television coverage can't begin give us the true size of how much damage occurred when this 19-story crane fell. When you are responding to an event of this magnitude, how do you decide what to do first and where to put your resources? What happens in the first five minutes can--and often does--determine the next five hours. The first-due battalion chief for FDNY not only called the shots correctly, he anticipated, he reacted, and established the proper direction from the moment he arrived.

Hear now how FDNY Rescue companies are staffed and what their responsibilities are on arrival from Lt. Tom Donnelly of Rescue 1, who was on duty and responded to this crane accident.
http://www.fireengineering.com/podcasts/podcastDetails.html?id=627