NewsMine — 9-11 — wtc-collapse — Viewing Item

Fire engineers challenge fed theory { May 27 2002 } American Free Press May 27, 2002 Fire Engineers Challenge Fed's Trade Center Collapse Theory A respected professional magazine read by fire fighters and engineers is calling the investigation into the collapse of the World Trade Towers a farce and a sham. By Christopher Bollyn Fire Engineering magazine, the 125-year old journal of record among America's fire engineers and firefighters, recently blasted the investigation being conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the collapsed World Trade Center as a "a half-baked farce. Fire Engineering frequently publishes technical studies of major fires and is read in more that 50,00 fire departments and schools of fire engineering across the nation. Fire Engineering's Editor, William Manning, issued a "call to action" to America's firefighters and fire engineers in the January issue asking them to contact their representatives in Congress and officials in Washington to demand a blue ribbon panel to thoroughly investigate the collapse of the World Trade Center structures. Manning challenged the theory that the towers collapsed as a result of the crashed airliners and the subsequent fuel fires, saying, "Respected members of the fire protection engineering community are beginning to raise red flags, and a resonating theory has emerged: The structural damage from the planes and the explosive ignition of jet fuel in themselves were not enough to bring down the towers." No evidence has been produced to support the theory that the burning jet fuel and secondary fires "attacking the questionably fireproofed lightweight trusses and load-bearing columns directly caused the collapses," Manning wrote, adding that the collapses occurred "in an alarmingly short time." Manning visited the site shortly after the collapse and his photographs appeared in the October issue of Fire Engineering. None of the photos show the load-bearing central steel support columns standing or fallen, which raises the question, what caused these columns to disintegrate? The steel from the site must be preserved to allow investigators to determine what caused the collapse, Manning said. "The destruction and removal of evidence must stop immediately." "For more than three months, structural steel from the World Trade Center has been and continues to be cut up and sold for scrap. Crucial evidence that could answer many questions about high-rise building design practices and performance under fire conditions is on the slow boat to China," Manning said, "perhaps never to be seen again in America until you buy your next car." "Such destruction of evidence," Manning wrote, "shows the astounding ignorance of government officials to the value of a thorough, scientific investigation of the largest fire-induced collapse in world history. Nowhere in the national standard for fire investigation does one find an exemption allowing the destruction of evidence for buildings over 10 stories tall, Manning said. "Clearly, there are burning questions that need answers. Based on the incident's magnitude alone, a full-throttle, fully-resourced, forensic investigation is imperative. The lessons about the buildings' design and behavior in this extraordinary event must be learned and applied in the real world. "Did they throw away the locked doors from the Triangle Shirtwaist fire? Did they throw away the gas can used at the Happyland Social Club fire? Did they cast aside the pressure-regulating valves at the Meridian Plaza fire? Of course not. But essentially, that's what they're doing at the World trade Center." In a separate editorial, "WTC Investigation? A Call to Action," by the magazine's technical editor, Prof. Glenn Corbett of John Jay University in New York City, and two other expert fire engineers who specialize in high-rise buildings, The FEMA-led investigation was called "uncoordinated" and "superficial." "The World Trade Center disaster demands the most comprehensive, detailed investigation possible," the writers said. "No event in our entire fire service history has ever come close to the magnitude of this incident." Given the magnitude of the disaster "you would think we would have the largest fire investigation in the world history," the editorial says. "You would be wrong. Instead, we have a series of unconnected and uncoordinated superficial inquiries. No comprehensive ‘Presidential Blue Ribbon Commission.' No top-notch National Transportation Safety Board-like response. Ironically, we will probably gain more detailed information about the destruction of the planes than we will about the destruction of the towers. We are literally treating the steel removed from the site like garbage, not like crucial fire scene evidence." A group of engineers from the American Society of Civil Engineers, commissioned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is reported to be studying "some aspects of the collapse," but not all, according to Manning and others. The engineers' investigation, they say, has not looked into all aspects of the disaster and has had limited access to documents and other evidence. "Except for the marginal benefit obtained from a three-day, visual walk-through of evidence sites conducted by ASCE investigation committee members - described by one close source as a "tourist trip" - no one's checking the evidence for anything," Manning said. "As things now stand and if they continue in such fashion, the investigation into the World Trade Center fire and collapse will amount to paper and computer generated hypotheticals." Engineers have also complained that they have been shackled with bureaucratic restrictions that prevented them form examining the disaster site, interviewing witnesses and requesting crucial information like recorded distress calls to police and fire departments. "This is almost the dream team of engineers in the country working on this, and our hands are tied," one engineer who asked not to be identified told the Times. Members of the team of engineers have been threatened with dismissal for speaking to the press. "FEMA is controlling everything," the anonymous engineer complained. "Comprehensive disaster investigations mean increased safety," Manning said. "They mean positive change. NASA knows it. The NTSB knows it. Does FEMA know it?" "No. Fire Engineering has good reason to believe that the ‘official investigation' blessed by FEMA and run by the American Society of Civil Engineers is a half-baked farce that may already have been commandeered by political forces whose primary interests, to put it mildly, lie far afield of full disclosure," he wrote.

051205explosives [wmv] 270404northtower [jpg] 270404southtower [jpg] 2750 degree fire melts bridge steel beams { April 30 2007 } 7 wtc collapse { November 29 2001 } Ailing wtc rescue workers sue 1b insurance fund { July 18 2007 } Body searched halted for gold search at wtc { March 9 2007 } Bush insider said collapse was controlled demolishion Bush says ksm planted explosives in a building Comparing twin towers { October 23 2002 } Debate over wtc fires draws experts { November 15 2004 } Dislodged fireproofing key to wtc collapse Engineering report released in trade center collapse Engineers built wtc to withstand boeing jet { February 27 1993 } Fire engineers challenge fed theory { May 27 2002 } Fire wasnt hot enough to bring down towers says study { April 6 2005 } Firefighters call giuliani 911 perfomance a disgrace Fireproofing dismissed as wtc collapse cause { October 19 2004 } First struck seconds to fall { February 24 2002 } Giuliani accused on streets of allowing wtc deaths { May 29 2007 } Giulliani caused firefighter deaths on 911 { January 22 2008 } Giulliani promoted those who ran before towers fell Graphic look { October 29 2002 } Human remains search could move off site Madrid building fire ap [jpg] Madrid skyscraper burns 24 hours without collapse Madrid windsor tower burns but no collapse { February 14 2005 } Medical examiner says lung death from wtc debris { May 24 2007 } Nist response to wtc controlled demolition accusations Nist still cant figure out why wtc7 fell { June 2007 } NY firefighters face questions on collapse { November 14 2003 } Over 750 bone fragments found on deutsche bank building { October 26 2006 } Planes hit tower weakest spot { September 12 2001 } Report on trade center collapse emphasize fireproofing { April 5 2005 } Search for human remains at wtc grows { October 27 2006 } Silverstein pull wtc building 7 [mp3] Stephen jones attacked on msnbc Study faults bolts Study suggests design flaws didnt doom towers { October 20 2004 } Topple [jpg] Towers fell almost free fall { April 30 2002 } Why world trade center collapsed Woman_in_blackhole [jpg] Woman_wtc [jpg] Wtc collapse evidence Wtc collapse inquiry rules out design flaw Wtc collapse secret { September 30 2002 } Wtc huge pile driver { September 13 2001 } Wtc officials recover more human remains { October 24 2006 } Wtc pull building 6 [mp3] Wtc structure built to withstand jet crash { February 27 1993 } Files Listed: 51

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