By Karen Nugent
TELEGRAM & GAZETTE (Massachusetts)
Copyright 2007 Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
DEVENS, Mass. — From 8:56 a.m. to about 10 a.m. on July 7, 2005, terrorists in London set off four bombs, three in subway stations and one on a bus, killing 52 people and injuring more than 700.
They were the first suicide bombings in Britain, according to Ken Knight, commissioner of the London Fire Brigade and head of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.
London firefighters, 300 of whom had taken an intense anti-terrorism training course in Texas using new equipment, were among the first to see the devastation from the subway and bus blasts. They were commended on their calmness in the face of horror, and on their professionalism and speed.
“That trial run (in Texas) was almost parallel to what happened 18 months later,” Mr. Knight told a group of about 200 firefighters and public safety officials gathered yesterday at the Devens Common Center for a seminar on anti-terrorism and the coordinating of police, fire and emergency services.
Although London had more than 30 years of experience dealing with IRA bombings, Mr. Knight said, the subway bombings were different. He said the men responsible for the 2005 bombings simply walked into three London Underground stations - one got on a bus - wearing backpacks stuffed with homemade electronic devices attached to nails and shrapnel.
“This is very different. The kind of threat we’re facing now is one in which their sole objective is to cause mass murder,” he told the group. In contrast, Mr. Knight said, IRA bombings were usually preceded by warnings, so there were not a lot of casualties.
“This is another kind of threat - a blast on an Underground train. This tested our emergency services, and caused a re-look, to protect against this new threat,” he said.
“These four simultaneous incidents were particularly testing for most of us,” he said.
One of the fire brigade’s members, Lee Baisden, who worked as a finance officer, was killed on his way to work that morning in the bombings
Mr. Knight said that as a result of the bombings, the London Fire Brigade has published a manual on strategic command, rescue, scientific and technical aspects, communications and coordinated responses.
“This new threat is a move away from the traditional roles of responding to the aftermath. We need to be more proactive,” he said, adding that today’s training involves learning new techniques on handling hazardous materials and on mass decontamination.
“These were born-and-bred U.K. citizens,” he said, referring to the suicide bombers. “They were born, bred and educated in the U.K. It’s not a matter of border patrol. We need to find out how to re-engage those people who are so disengaged.”
Yesterday’s seminar was hosted by state Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan and Public Safety Secretary Kevin M. Burke.
During a break, Mr. Coan said the seminars are given annually, and have included speakers from Israel and Northern Ireland. But he said Mr. Knight was able to give a perspective on a recent terrorist attack in which firefighters played a major role.
“He has a very strong message,” Mr. Coan said. “It’s part of our effort to see public safety personnel reach out beyond our backyards, and enable us to learn to develop new responses to threats to our security.”
Also during a break, before lunch, Mr. Knight said yesterday was the first time he had spoken at a seminar organized by firefighters and public safety officers, although he has spoken at other conferences.
“This is an opportunity to speak to others who have the same risks and issues,” he said.
During the discussion about the subway bombings, Mr. Knight stressed the need for agencies to work together.
“Before, about 10 years ago, the London Fire Brigade would just respond to fires. Now, some are in the MI-5 (British intelligence), and can help prepare for raids. We are made aware of them,” he said. “The agencies are working together, and that wouldn’t have happened 10 or 15 years ago.”
During the bombings, he said, the fire dispatch received 480 calls about other emergencies - real and feared. Also, he said, although cell phones did not fail, they became so overloaded they were unusable for the most part. He said a special set of mobile phones was bought for the fire brigade after the bombings.
Another difficulty, he said, was that all of the brigade’s equipment left in the subway was impounded by the police as part of the investigation.
During a question-and-answer period, William T. Ashton, a Leominster deputy fire chief, asked if the London firefighters were given stress debriefing after the bombings. Mr. Knight said many counselors were available.
“You need that. You cannot train people for those real sights and sounds they are going to see. It’s a vital point,” he said.
Fitchburg Deputy Chief James Belliveau asked if the bombs caused fires to break out in the subways. Mr. Knight said they did not.
“It was an explosion. There was a lot of dust,” he said.
Mr. Knight said the subway walls did not collapse - a surprise, given their age. He said nearly a million people take the Underground each weekday morning, with about 900 on each train. He said a forensic team, using a new trolley that used the subway tracks, rather then teams on foot, spent 39 hours straight removing victims.
Just before the morning session ended, Mr. Knight was presented with a fire helmet from William Scoble, president of the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts. In return, Mr. Knight gave a book on the history of the London Fire Brigade, which will be kept at the state firefighting academy in Stow.