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The failure to establish a Unified Command structure resulted in miscommunication and confusion. For example, a helicopter requested by the police department arrived at the scene without the Incident Commander's direction or knowledge. Poor communication also made it especially difficult to establish initial security perimeters. Eventually, the police and fire departments swapped radios so they could monitor each other's radio traffic. They also established hourly face-to-face meetings for collaboration and updates. These ad hoc remedies alleviated some of the initial problems. However, miscommunication continued to plague response operations.

The after-action report for this incident stated that Incident Commanders need to create Unified Command structures promptly in a multiagency response to an emergency. Establishing Unified Command will help to reduce problems of miscommunication and confusion between response agencies.