New York's police and fire departments have pledged to reform their emergency response procedures after a report criticised their handling of last year's terrorist attacks.
The report, prepared over five months by consultancy firm McKinsey and Company, highlighted problems with the command and communication structures of the police and fire departments, as well as a lack of inter-agency co-operation.
But McKinsey said any weaknesses identified in its reports should in no way detract from the "heroism" of police and firefighters who rushed to the World Trade Center.
"We owe it to those we lost and to those they left behind to learn what we can from this tragedy," Mayor Mr Michael Bloomberg said.
Police Chief Raymond Kelly and Fire Chief Nicholas Scopetta said special groups had been set up to study the reports and introduce their recommendations, particularly in the area of co-operation between their two departments.
More than 2,800 people lost their lives in the World Trade Center attacks on September 11th, including 343 firemen and 23 police officers.
AFP