Dennis Smith, in his novel on the New York City Fire Department, Report from Engine Co. 82, wrote "If you pick up a telephone receiver in this town you may, or may not, get a dial tone. If you get on a subway you may, or may not, get stuck in a tunnel for an hour. The wall socket in your apartment may, or may not, contain electricity. The city's air may, or may not, be killing you. The only real sure thing in this town is that the firemen come when you pull the handle on that red box.1" So it was in 1972, and so it is today. The brave and dedicated traditions of America's emergency services continue. Our devoted emergency responders may be the same, but our world has certainly changed. Events such as World Trade Center Bombing of 1993, the Oklahoma City Bombing of 1995, and the coordinated attacks of September 11, 2001, that resulted in the deaths of 2,819 innocent victims, 403 of them emergency service personnel,2 have changed our nation forever.
Where will the next major terrorist attack occur?
A public school
A train station, bus station, airport terminal
A major professional or college sporting event
A church or religious event
A chemical plant or refinery
An office building
Military base
Federal building
Historical site
Power plant
Port facility
A factory