Currently at the Memorial & Museum

Preserving History...Museum Artifacts Tell a Story

August 08, 2011

One of the Memorial’s important photographic collections, the City of Oklahoma City Collection, contains 2,300 photos that record the rescue and recovery efforts following the April 19, 1995, bombing. The rescue operation involved many agencies and hundreds of city, state and federal personnel. This massive effort required efficient coordination of all involved parties, open lines of communication, clear understanding of responsibilities and respect for one another to achieve successful results. A Unified Command Post was established at the Southwestern Bell headquarters and the Oklahoma City Police Department and Oklahoma City Fire Department established a joint base of operations in Southwestern Bell’s parking lot.

This photo from the city of Oklahoma City Collection shows Oklahoma City Police Department Public Information Officer Bill Citty taking two phone calls as he handled non-stop inquiries during the first hours and days after the bombing. Visit the Museum and see how the Unified Command structure in 1995 became a model for other operations.

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