Follow Us:

Sample of a MITRE prototype map used by the the NYC Fire Department in the WTC recovery effort. The white x on the map above shows where David is standing in the photo below.

Helping out at ground zero

Dave Kaplan was one of 42 MITRE staff members who received special recognition from MITRE's CEO and President Marty Faga for their efforts to help the rescue teams at Ground Zero after the September 11 attack.

The MITRE Corporation brought its technical and command and control Intelligence expertise to the rubble of New York City's World Trade Center towers shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks. A quickly assembled group consisting of MITRE employees from Massachusetts and New Jersey, as well as the U.S. Army Communications-Electronic Command (CECOM), went to the rubble of the World Trade Center (WTC) towers with cellular location equipment, infrared cameras, and prototype mapping products.

The following is a short interview with MITRE Lead Information Systems Engineer David Kaplan, a member of the first MITRE team to arrive on September 13, about his part in the recovery efforts.

Q You went to New York City (NYC) on the 13th with MITRE's first group. What was the plan?

A Shortly after the attacks, several MITRE folks started talking about sending a team to NYC with equipment to locate radio signals in the rubble—cell phones, wireless email devices, and fire/police radios. We spent some time the evening of the 12th coordinating with CECOM, MITRE employees in Bedford, the NJ State Police, the NYC Office of Emergency Management, MITRE employees at Picattiny Arsenal, and many others. We sent people out to buy flashlights, breathing masks, gloves, and water. The New Jersey State police told us they would provide us with an escort to NYC. Several MITRE-Bedford employees drove down to New Jersey to join the team.

Q What equipment were you taking, and how did you think it would help?

A It was mostly equipment geared to directionally locating radios. Some was purchased, some was borrowed, some was MITRE equipment from prior projects, and other equipment was brought in from our sponsors. We hoped it would be of great help, but none of us had ever used it in such an environment.

Q How many people were in the MITRE group? How long did you stay?

A The first team that arrived on the 13th had about 12 MITRE employees from Massachusetts and New Jersey, as well as six or eight CECOM and contractor employees. All of the MITRE employees in that group left that evening, except me. A second wave of Bedford employees arrived later that evening. I left on the 14th and came back on the 15th for another all-nighter. Since then, I have been in and out many times, sometimes staying up to six days. Many other MITRE employees from New Jersey and Bedford have also been in NYC, making strong contributions.

Q On a more personal level, how did you feel about going?

A Anxious good and anxious bad. I was eager to help, but I was concerned about the dangers and to what degree we could help. I did not want to get in the way of the rescue crews.

MITRE's Dave Kaplan, Lead Information Systems Engineer, onsite at the WTC cleanup. David's view is looking south from Vesey and West Streets. To the left of the photo is the damaged WTC building #6.

Q What was it like to be part of such a massive rescue and recovery mission?

A This may sound odd, but the best way to describe it is as follows: I turned to another MITRE employee at Ground Zero and said, "When you started at MITRE, did you ever think you'd be doing this?"

Q Did it change your perspective about working at MITRE?

A The work has certainly been the most rewarding of my life. It feels good when a New York Fire Department Captain puts his arm around you and a colleague and asks how to go about adopting you.

Q Is MITRE making a difference?

A YES. The teamwork in NYC really reinforced the corporate goal of "working in the public interest." I have seen Fire Chiefs use the maps we created during their daily planning meetings. [MITRE used "rapid mapping" technology at Ground Zero, making maps out of imagery shot from airplanes. This enables rescue crews to locate fires, chemical tanks, and other dangers among the rubble.] Our map products hang on the walls of the Incident Command Fire station—and are updated daily. We've transitioned many of our products to the agencies; they will continue to use them as they return to more normal operations. So, indeed, MITRE does create "solutions that make a difference."