11 Sept rescuers 'hampered by gear'

Many firefighters did not hear calls to evacuate the towers

Rescue efforts by New York firefighters on 11 September at the World Trade Center were hampered by poor communications systems and inadequate equipment, a US newspaper has reported.

Rescue workers who rushed to the scene may have impeded efforts

The New York Times said many of the firefighters and rescue workers who died in the twin towers may not have received warnings that the buildings were about to collapse.

The report found that police warnings captured on radio tapes were not transmitted to firefighters, crucial communications systems were not linked and police and fire commanders did not share information during some of the most crucial minutes following the attack.

In particular, it found that at least 121 firefighters who died in the north tower could have been saved had they been able to hear warnings that were transmitted over police radio 21 minutes before it collapsed.

In total 343 firefighters, 37 Port Authority officers and 23 police officers lost their lives when the twin towers collapsed, along with around 2,800 civilians.

Calls 'not heard'

The paper's findings are echoed by New York fire chief Joe Callan, who said that a call he gave to colleagues to evacuate the north tower was not heard.

Courage is not enough, the fact that the guys are so dedicated comes back to hurt them down the line

Former Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen

"I gave the command over our walkie-talkies to withdraw because I felt things were going so badly," he told Reuters news agency.

"But unfortunately, most firefighters did not hear my call to evacuate because the walkie-talkies were almost inaudible or not working at all."

Officials were also unable to track several firefighters who rushed to the scene by jumping on other company's fire trucks or commandeering civilian cars, and police officers who rushed to aid evacuees, the paper found.

The paper said the lack of communications between the New York Fire Department and the New York Police was little short of disastrous.

"There is no question that there were communications problems at this catastrophic incident," Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta told the paper.

Rescuers error

In an attempt to prevent such failures occurring again, Mr Scoppetta said that the city planned to create a radio channel that could be shared by both the fire and police departments.

Questions have also been asked about factors such as the willingness of rescuers to rush to the scene regardless of whether they had been ordered to by superiors.

Former Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen said that, while unquestionably brave, rescue workers who ran to the scene abandoned posts or overloaded equipment.

"Courage is not enough," Mr Von Essen told the paper.

"The fact that the guys are so dedicated comes back to hurt them down the line."