Thirty Years Later: The Oklahoma City Bombing and Lessons Learned from the Response

The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed on April 19, 1995, killing 167 people. In response, FEMA activated 11 Urban Search and Rescue teams from around the country, including New York Task Force 1. The 56-member task force was comprised of members of the FDNY, NYPD and EMS, nine of whom were later killed responding to the World Trade Center on 9/11.  As we mark the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, Museum Director Clifford Chanin is joined by retired FDNY Battalion Chief Stephen Spall, retired EMS Chief of Department Charles Wells and retired NYPD ESU Detective Kenneth Winkler to discuss their response to both unprecedented attacks, the challenges faced in urban search and rescue operations, and the profound lessons learned that continue to shape emergency response today.