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0 9 / 2 6 / 0 3 FR I 11:32 FAX g]001
Attn: Dan Marcus
Dan,
I have attached nine pages of questions that NIST
Intends to ask first resp onders. Please feel free to
share them with your team in New York.
Regards,
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-26-2003 li:28 OFFICE OF NIST COUNSEL
WTC Investigation DRAFT
July 28,2003
Semi-Structured Interview Protocol
FirstResponders
Logistics
ASSUMPTION: Randy will provide the names and telephone numbers
of the individualswho are to be interviewed
0. Upon meeting the subject at the interview location (be it the R's home, theworkplace, the interviewing facility, or some other location)
- Greet the subject
verify subject identity- provide subject with preparatory materials:
i. a written Informed Consent Statement on NIST letterhead that
subject signs (to effect written consent) and return to us (they keep
a copy for themselves) - Attachment A
ii. a one-page Subject Information Sheet to verify information that
we gathered when setting the appointment (e.g., Responder Type,
work location, time of arrival at site, building entered) -
Attachment 6
prior to commencement of interview, the NuStats' Interviewer reviews the
Subject Information Sheet to familiarize himself/herself with the subject
and to assemble interview materials (e.g., blueprint sheets of WTC, mapof the WTC complex, pictures)
1. Introduction
Interviewer welcomes & thanks the subject fo r attending
Tells R why we have asked them to participate:
i, What the study is about
ii. Why you have been selected
iii. Review the purpose of the interview
- Provide overview of what will occur (i.e., review "agenda")
Asks if there are any questions about the Informed Consent Statement
Provides subject with a list of free resources in the event that he/she
requires treatment
2. ConductIn-Depth Interview
see Semi-Structured Script — Attachment C
3. Dismissal
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=P-26-2003 11:28 | ! OFFICE OF NIST COUNSEL
Attachment A
Informed Consent Statement
I n fo rmed Consent Statement elicits written consentan d communicates:What is occurring (WTC Investigation)Who we are (sponsorship— NIST)
What we want (R participation instudy)
Burden (how long, what we ask about, risks & benefits)Confidentiality &Privacy
Voluntary nature of participation
How to obtain more information
«NIST LETTERHEAD»
FIRSTRESPONDER
Informed Consent
The collapse of NewYork City's World Trade Center structures on September 11, 2001, was the
worst building disaster in recorded history. Thousands were killed and injured, including the
deaths of over 350 fire and emergency responders. In response to the WTC tragedy, the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is conducting a federally mandated
investigation into the collapse. You are being asked to voluntarily participate in this Investigation.
The WTC investigation is aimed at gathering information to help improve building and fire codes,
standards, and practices. The investigation also seeks to improve the way that building
professionals (e.g., facility owners, contractors, architects, engineers), emergency responders,
and regulatory authorities prepare for and respond to future disasters. Ultimately, the goal of this
investigation is to improve public safety.
Your cooperation with the Investigation involves participating in a 120-minute personal debriefing
with a representative of our research staff and completing some informational forms. The
purpose of the interview is to gather information about what you experienced (i.e., saw. heard,
felt, smelled) while you were in the building - your observations about howsuppression and
communications systems worked, how well the equipment worked, what problems you
encountered and how you overcame them, and what assistance you were able to provide to
occupants.
Because the debriefing involves the recollection of a traumatic experience, some participants will
experience emotional discomfort. Our professional research staff is highly trained in the
debriefing process and will be able to help you address any discomfort you may encounter.
Moreover, you may choose to stop the debriefing process at any time. Finally, a list of free
counseling services will be provided to all participants in the event that follow-up counseling isneeded.
NIST will keep the identities of the participants confidential, No one other than research staff at
NIST and its research contractor NuStats will have access to your identity. And access to
identifying information will only be provided to these staff on an as-needed basis. The staff has
signed legally binding pledges of confidentiality. Moreover, your identities will not be associated
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_
EP-2S-2003 11=29 OFFICE OF NIST COUNSEL@ ] 0 0 4
with your responses. Data will be reported only in summary form. To the outside world you
information will appear anonymous.
NIST is a non-regulatory agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce and is conducting this
investigation under the authority of the National Construction Safety Team Act (P.L 107-231). By
law, this investigation is strictly one of fact-finding; it cannot be used in any suit or action for
damages.
If you would like more information about this investigation, please fee! free to call Dr. Johanna
Zmud, NuStats Project Director, at 800 447-8287 x 2225, or Mr. Jason Averill, NIST Project
Director, at 301 x x x - x x x x . You can also consult our web site at http://wtc.nist.gov.
Please complete the form below and keep a copy for your records.
I have read the Informed Consent Statement and I understand the voluntarily nature of this
investigation and agree to participate:
PRINT YOUR NAME;
YOUR SIGNATURE GOES HERE:
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-26-2003 11=29 OFFICE OF NIST COUNSEL
Attachment 6
Subject Information Sheet
First Responders
(extracted from telephone recruitment data)
Purpose: This sheet is an extract of data taken during the "appointment call"; itprovides basic information that the Interviewer will need
Contact information
Name: (Full name) SI,S2
Address: (Street number & name, Apt. , city, State, Zip) S3-S7Land Phone #; S3
Cell Pnone #:S9
E m ai l address: $10
Contact Person's Na me (e.g., Spouse, Partner, R elative): SUContact Person's Relationship to you: $12Contact Person's City & State; S13Contact Person's Telephone: S M
9/11/01 Employer : S2 09/11/01 Rank9/11/01 Uni t Assignment/Station (i f applicable): S2I
Data taken from the appointment call:
Gender C MAg e C 2Disability or limited mobility flag (as a result of in jur ies suffered d u r i n g th e WTC response) C 3
C u r r e n t E m p l o ye r ( F DNY , P A P D , N YP D , none, etc.) X X X XTime of arr ival or initiation of response Y Y Y Y
W T C building entered, if any LULLExten t of m a x i m u m penetration into building (for those who entered) QQQQ
Injur ies suffered WWWWTreatm ent received V V V ' V
Ongoing treatment flag (physical and/or emotional) SSSS
Other????
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26/03 F R I 11:34 F A X 0006-26-2003 ll:ciy UI-l-ILt U l- N I S I U JU l N3 t l _ r.uo
Attachment C
Semi-Structured Narrative Script
First Responders
Hello M r./Mrs. XXXXX. I am pleased to meet you. Thank yo u for agreeing to beinterviewed, Before w e begin. . . «ask about creature comfort stuff- water, restroom,too hot/cold, if light intensity bothering, whatever»
Well , thank you for agreeing to participate in this investigation. Le t's tak e care of somepaperwork, first. Ha ve you had a chance to read an d sign the consent statement?«RETRIEVE THE SIGNED CONSENT STATEMENT» Did you have an y questionsabout this before w e begin? (If an y questions come up after yo u leave, please feel free tocall the number on the consent statemen t., ,)
OK , now let me tell you about the investigation and how you can help us. . . .
«hriefly repeat the information in the informed consent statement - this reassures the
subject that everyone lias a common understanding of the investigation and is a nice, safesegue to the narrative»
N ow during this session, I will ask a series of questions that focus on specific issues w e
are trying to learn more about. There are no right or wrong answers. W e are interested inan d greatly appreciate w hatever yo u have to offer.
Do you have an y questions? O K , let 's ge t started. (Sec Semi-structured interv iew
protocol below)
NEED SPECIFIC PROBES (i f any). . . do w e just use the occupan t probes??
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r6/03 F R I 11:34 FAX 01007— 1 1 ; il~y urrmz ur I N I 31 ( -UUMOC.L. i-.or
Semi-Structured Interview ProtocolFirst Responders
(FDNY, NYPD, PAPD)
I am now going to ask some questions about different tilings you might have experiencedor that yo u have an opinion about. So just answer the questions as best you can, and it isok to say you don't know or do n't have anything to add other than w hat you said earlier.
I. Dispatch & Arrival
1. Were you on duty when the call was dispatched? (If no, ask about voluntary
return to duty an d being called back, includ ing ho w called back)
2. Tell me (more) about y our role as a member of the response u nit you were with.
3. What was the composition of your unit?
4. Where did you depart from?
5. About what time did you arrive at WTC? Where outside?? (Use milestones if
necessary)
6. Where did you arrive? (e.g., specific building, staging area; pr ob e for detail)
7. Where was your vehicle parked?
8. Tell me about the other units or responders that were at the scene w hen yo uarrived.
9. From whom did you and your unit receive orders at the scene? (Did this changeover time?) What w ere your orders?
10. Did you unit commence operations your unit intact, or w as it split up to join otherresponse teams?
11. What equipment did you have an d what equipment did our unit have as you
approached the building for entry? (be sure to capture commun icationsequipment)
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_.̂ -26-2003 11:36 OFFICE OFN1ST CQUNStL , .̂ J j SOOS
II . Entry
12. What buildings did you enter? About what time did you enter? (If more than oneentry, get location, sequence & timing for each entry) Which entry did you use?
(repeat for multiple entries; use blueprints as necessary)
13 . What was the condition of the building as you entered it? (probe for visuals,sounds, heat, feeling/movement)
14. What did you notice re garding the operations of suppression systems?
15. What were you tasked to do upon entry?
III. Communications & Encounters
Let's talk about how you comm unicated with the command post and the people youencountered.
16. When you entered, what communications equipment did you have? What did youuse? How well did it work? (What problems did you have with communications?How did you deal with them?)
17. While in the building, how did you receive your orders? Who gave them?
] 8. How often did you commu nicate with central command, and what was the nature
of your communications?
19. Once inside, how did you get information about the condition of the building?
20. Tell me about how you interacted and coordinated operations with other u nits inthe building? (How/how w ell would you say this happened? W hat worked well,and what didn't work well?)
21. How well were you able to comm unicate with mem bers of the unit with whomyou entered?
22. Tell meabout thepeople - both responders and occupants - that you personallyencountered while in the building. What were they doing? What was their
condition? How did you interact with them or help them? (B e sure to identifyencountered first responders by type, e.g., NYPD, FDNY, PA , etc.)
TOTflL P.01
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6 03 FRI :35 FAX
.P-26-2003 11:30 OFFICE OF MIST COUNbhL
IV, Structural Integrity
The next set of questions focus on the building structure.
23. Let's go back to the time yo u first entered the building (spec i fy & repeat as
ne c e ssa r y for mult iple building entries'). Talk about the debris that was falling
when you entered.
24 . Now tell me about structural building damage you observed as you entered.
25. What was the state of the various suppression systems? (Asnecessary, ask about
sprinklers, stand pipes, emergency lights, PA systems)
26. What pre-positioned equipmentdid you u se in the building?
27.'What can you tell me about the working condition of the elevators? (Specify
which elevators are referred to)
28. What were the conditions of each stairwell you went into? (probe for structural as
well as crowding, locked doors, etc.)
29 . Please trace your path while you were in the building using this blueprint, and tell
me what you saw, heard, smelled, felt an d did. We are specifically interested in .
the structural condition of the building.
30. What events an d decisions caused you to leave the building? (probe fo r nature of
cause - assessment of danger/personal decision, responding to orders, building
collapsed upon them) Where were you when you decided you had to leave?
31. Did everyone in your unit evacuate at the same time, or did some stay behind? (If
some stayed behind, probe for circumstances)
32 . Did all the members of the unit survive? (If some died, probe: Tell me what yo uknow about what you unit's lost members were doing and where they were about
th e time of their death.)
V. Training & Equipment Assessment
Now we'd like to collect your thoughts about your training and the equipment you used.
33. Give m e your assessment about how well your training prepared you forresponding to the events of 9/11? Would there be $ome area that you'd want
more intensive training? What additional training that you did not receive might
have been beneficial?
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. : .r1-26-2003 11 = 30 Oh-1-ICt Uh Nb UJUINfatL.
34. Howwell would you say that the different groups - PD, FDNY, NYPD and others-wor ked together? What, if anything , would you change if you could?
35. How well did your equipment work? What additional equipment would have
been useful an d why?
VI. Conclusion
This is our final set of questions,
36 . What else can you tell me that might be useful for our investigation?
37. Are there particular people that you would recom men d we interview for this
investigation?
Thank you for your time. If you think of anything that might be important please do nothesitate to call us .
TDTflL P.09
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made by NIST. NIST will identify th e subject areas concerning wh ich they desire
information. The FDNY an d NY PD will then provide NIS T with th e names of
their members wh o are knowledgeable with respect to these areas, with the nam esof FDNY employees selected from the list of 300 names previously providedNIST by the City of New York. NIST will select interviewees from these lists. If
NIST desires to interview a member not on a FDNY or NY PD list, NIST will
notify th e appropriate Department and the City will use its best efforts to make
such member available for interview. It is understood that th e City shall not be
required to compel an y employee to participate in an interview.
3. Interviews with employees of FDN Y will be scheduled by the FDN Y Court Desk
in consultation with NIST.
Interviews with employees of N YP D will be scheduled by in
consultation with NIST. Each interview will be scheduled for a four hou r period. Interviews are
expected to run two to four hours each.
4. The following persons will be permitted in the interview room during theinterviews: the interviewer, the interviewee, up to two NIST observers, one NIST
attorney observer, one NYC attorney observer, and on e attorney representing the
interviewee, who may in certain instances be the NY C attorney, so desires. A
mental health professional provided by [PHS or NYC ] will be available outside
the room if needed.
5. Persons in the interview room will be arranged as follows: Only the interviewer
an d their attorney and ther
wintervieweer and their interviewee's attorney will be permitted to sit at the table. All
other -attorneys an d observers observers will be seated behind an d will not havevisual contact with th e interviewee.
6. Attorneys observers may observe, take notes, and otherwise represent their clients
but may not interrupt interfere with the orderly conduct of the interview.
Clarification of questions is permissible
7. NYC will hold no pre interview meetings with interviewees to coach th e
interviewees regarding the substance of thoir responses. - The interviews shall
not be transcribed or taped an d absent court order to the extent permitted by law,
the neither NISTUnitod States nor N YC shall ftet disclose th e names or other
identifying information of persons interviewed an d shall oppose an y request orapplication for such dislosure.
8. All additions or modifications to this Agreement must be in writing and signed b yboth parties.
9. This Agreement may be terminated by either party upon delivery of written notice
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of termination to the other party.
10. The undersigned represent that they have authority to enter into this Agreem ent
and to make all of the representations and commitments set forth herein.
IN WITNESS W HEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the
date first above written.
National Institute of Standards
and Technology City of New York
By: By:
Print Nam e: Print Name:
Title: Title: