"9/11 - The Filmmaker's Commemorative Edition" Video
This astonishingly powerful video documentary is provided as one of your lesson requirements because it furnishes a raw and unadulterated first hand eye-witness account of the horrific events at “ground zero” on September 11, 2001. The video chronicles the professionalism, espirit-de-corps, and bravery of America’s first responder and emergency management agencies as exemplified by the New York City Fire Department, Police Department, Port Authority, and Emergency Medical Services personnel, in addition to personnel from a host of other local, State, Federal and non-governmental organizations. The video captures the necessity for an all-hazards approach to incident management which emphasizes that an effective response to any given incident is a shared responsibility of governments at all levels, the private sector and NGOs, and individual citizens. The dramatic images highlight the fact that the ability to act swiftly and effectively requires clear, focused communication, and the processes to facilitate communication. The video demonstrates that without effective communication even the most heroic and selfless of acts will likely be inadequate and as in the case of the World Trade Center, deadly. Finally, the video emphasizes that an effective national incident response relies on disciplined processes, procedures, and systems to communicate timely, accurate, and accessible information on the incident's cause, size, and current situation to the public, to responders, and to others.
The events of September 11, 2001 that you watch unfold through the eyes of first responders set into motion dramatic changes in the American political, legal, bureaucratic, economic, psychological, philosophical, and virtually all other facets of the American way of life that have not yet fully come to rest. This documentary sets the stage for the relatively new and rapidly evolving overarching discipline of homeland security which encompasses public safety and emergency management officials and activities.