Fighting the fire at the Pentagon; Chief Edward P. Plaugher's antiterrorism plan, and the Virginia fire department that he heads, are credited with saving many lives at the Pentagon on Sept. 11

Insight on the News, Sept 16, 2002 by Timothy W. Maier

In 1995, Arlington County, Va., Fire Chief Edward P. Plaugher devised an emergency antiterrorism plan that he hoped never would have to be implemented. On Sept. 11, 2001, he had no choice. But his foresight about the unthinkable may have saved thousands of lives.

A recently released report praises Plaugher for fostering a cooperative relationship with federal and local police and fire agencies. Titan Systems Corp., a San Diego-based technology and defense company prepared the study. According to the 200-page report, Arlington County firefighters arrived within two minutes of the attack on the Pentagon and almost the entire duty shift was on the scene by 10 a.m. Chief Plaugher, the report notes, has "long recognized the possibility ... of a terrorist attack in the Washington metropolitan area and has pursued an aggressive preparedness program for such an event."

Another study, commissioned by New York City's Fire Department to evaluate its response to the World Trade Center attack, found fault with communications between fire and police personnel, speculating that this could have cost thousands of lives. Nonetheless, all concerned were quick to point out that this was a problem with planning and should not be cited to diminish the heroic actions of New York's Bravest.

Today, the tragedy in New York City still receives more headlines than those in both Washington and Pennsylvania. While the men and women of the Arlington County Fire Department in Northern Virginia might have every reason to feel slighted, they don't. Not once have they been heard to complain. Made from the same cloth as their leader, Chief Plaugher, they have shown themselves to be more interested in saving the lives under their protection.

Insight: Chief Plaugher, take us back to Sept. 11. Where were you when you heard of the first attack?

Edward P. Plaugher: I was sitting at the credit union in Fairfax [Va.], trying to finish the paperwork for a motor home my wife and I were trying to purchase. The clerk came out and told me the World Trade Center had been attacked. My initial thought was of how a bomber had flown into the Empire State Building during World War II. I was thinking, "How horrible." And I was thinking of my colleagues in the New York City Fire Department and of the difficulties they were going to have.

Even though we diligently had prepared for terrorism during the last six years, I hadn't a thought that this was terrorism. There wasn't a blip on the radar screen. I thought maybe a light plane had gotten off course.

The clerk then went to get a piece of paper from her workroom and came back to say, "Something is going on with the Pentagon." I immediately ran to my car and headed to the scene.

Insight: You got there as fast as you could?

EPP: Yes, it was record time. I had no idea those Crown Vics [Ford Crown Victorias] would go that fast.

Insight: And when you got there you made sure to take control of the roads?

EPP: Yes. We were concerned for the lives of the people there and needed unrestricted access to get our equipment and responders in, and evacuate the injured and key personnel.

Insight: What was your first observation as you approached the scene?

EPP: I noticed how calm the fire radio was. There wasn't a whole lot of yelling and screaming going on--our people had arrived immediately and were dealing professionally with a tragedy of enormous proportion.

Insight: What did you think as you drove over that last hill and looked directly down into a Pentagon filled with flames?

EPP: The volume of smoke and size of the cloud were huge. The smoke column was just immense.

Insight: No question in your mind that it was a terrorist act?

EPP: Not at all. The pieces had come together for me immediately. As soon as I learned the planes had rammed into the World Trade Center towers and something was going on at the Pentagon I realized terrorists were using planes as weapons.

I pulled up to the command post and asked how we were doing. They briefed me on what was going on and told me they were evacuating because of a threat of another airplane coming in.

I walked over to the helicopters, asked the controller on the ground from the U.S. Park Police if they were engaged in Medevac. When he said, "No," I said, "Good, your helicopter is now mine." I wanted to get a scope of the incident. They took me up and, through multiple passes, I was able to see and judge the magnitude of the fire. It was huge, massive, and the pilot finally came on the air and said, "Chief if I get any lower I am going to be sucking smoke in my intakes."

Insight: How were your men and women performing?

EPP: They were extraordinary, going at it 24 hours. I know myself I got less than three hours sleep during the next 24. We had to force some of those firefighters to leave.

Insight: When did the magnitude of the situation hit you?

EPP: Instantly. I knew immediately. One of the very first people I encountered at the scene said they thought it was a commuter aircraft. I said, "No way." This was a full-blown aircraft, something we quickly were able to confirm.