Hate to burst anyones bubble, but the updrafts in a fire like that can be a couple of
hundred miles
per hour. No helicopter could operate in those, it would be blown about like a leaf.
--graywolf
Chris Brogden wrote:
>
> On Fri, 14 Sep 2001, Raimo Korhonen wrote:
>
> > I thought that there was a helicopter platform on top of one of the
> > towers. And it would have been good to see that something was even
> > tried to save these people.
>
> I think in the aftermath of this disaster a lot of people are going to be
> second-guessing the actions of the rescuers. Just keep in mind that what
> seems logical now is not always so obvious in the heat of the moment,
> which is probably the main reason all those rescue workers lost their
> lives when someone should have known that the building was due to
> collapse.
>
> That being said, I'm surprised that there weren't more measures in place
> to rescue people from skyscrapers quickly. Correct me if I'm wrong, but
> they were able to do virtually nothing, right? Seems to me that with all
> our current technology we should be able to come up with some methods that
> may save lives in the future. How about a helicopter carrying a long
> cable with a large cage attached to it? Give the cage a nice padded floor
> and a large opening and see how close you can get it to the window. Or
> something smaller than a parachute that would slow people's fall to the
> ground to survivable levels? Make it like an inflatable helium air bag
> with a basic hand strap and belt clip and it could be very small. Or if
> that won't work, they should be able to make emergency parachutes pretty
> compact by now. I'm not saying that these are great ideas, just that we
> need something done to help people in the future. Boats have lifeboats;
> why don't skyscrapers have anything other than stairs and an elevator?
>
> And does concrete really insulate the steel against heat better than, say,
> those ceramic panels used on space shuttles for re-entry? That material
> can't be too expensive... they make casserole dishes out of them, after
> all. :)
>
--
Tom Rittenhouse
Graywolf Photo
Charlotte, NC, USA
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