Post-Bombing Safety Upgrades
Evacuation Planning Saved Thousands in the 9-11 Attack
The evacuation following the 1993 garage bomb attack took over six hours, partly because the stairwells were pitch black due to a power failure.
In the wake of the attack the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey began a multi-million-dollar revamping of security in and around the Twin Towers and Buildings 4 and 5. The architect of the security upgrades, which totaled $58 million, was Douglas Karpiloff, the longtime security director of the World Trade Center. 1
Numerous improvements to evacuation facilities and procedures were made in the Twin Towers. These included: the installation of battery-operated light fixtures in the stairwells; the application of bright glow-in-the-dark paint to the handrails and a centerline down the stairs; and the installation of a public address system. 2 Perhaps even more important was the change in attitude of the buildings' occupants, who reportedly took the fire drills much more seriously after the bombing.
One of several companies that won contracts for the upgrade was Securacom. The same company, with ties to George W. Bush and Marvin Bush, later won an $8.3 million contract for World Trade Center security. 3
4References
2. Evacuation Plans Saved Thousands at WTC, firehouse.com, 12/7/02 [cached]
3. Secrecy surrounds a Bush brother's role in 9/11 security, SmirkingChimp.com, 1/20/03 [cached]
4. WORLD TRADE CENTER EXPLOSION AND FIRE, NFPA.org, 2/26/93 [cached]