April 21, 2008 -- The United States Fire Administration (USFA) today announced the release of the Interstate 35W (I-35W) Bridge Collapse and Response Technical Report. The report examines the area's emergency preparedness for, and response to, the August 1, 2007 bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota that killed 13 people and injured 121 others.

The report cites several notable successes and best practices in the response including:

• Cooperation among first responders, mutual-aid resources, and State and Federal partners was outstanding.
• Local leaders together had taken the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s), Integrated Emergency Management course, and credited it as a major factor in their level of preparedness.
• Technology played a major role in managing the response and recovery efforts. The technology not only performed well, it transformed the way response and recovery were handled.

Problem areas and lessons learned included:

• Fire and police did not initially operate from a Unified Command Post, but managed their operations from separate Command Posts (CPs).
• Although Command personnel showed the proper regard for safety, no formal Safety Officer or Assistant Safety Officers were appointed.
• The EOC was of insufficient size to manage a major event. Jurisdictions should plan for backup EOC facilities that can be used if the primary EOC is inaccessible or full.