9/11’s failures led to a first-responder network — which will vanish if Congress doesn’t act

Sept. 11, 2001, was a day of unspeakable tragedy.

Twenty-four years later, the images of the World Trade Center in flames still burn fresh in the minds of those who watched from afar and those who experienced it up close.

But amidst the chaos was a group of heroes — firefighters, police officers, paramedics and countless others — who ran toward the danger, risking their lives to save the lives of others.

They were our first responders, and in the face of death, they showed unwavering courage.

What many Americans didn’t see that day were the communication failures that made an already-impossible job even harder for these first responders. 3

Radios failed. Phone lines jammed.

Agencies from different states couldn’t coordinate effectively, resulting in first responders having to pa