The recommendations are also meant to help in being prepared for possible emergencies, including terrorist attacks.
One of the key takeaways includes training for elected officials about what their roles should be during an emergency.
The report also said that until a casualty collection point was established, there was no way to track patients transported from the explosion to area hospitals. That confusion lasted for about 12 hours, according to the report.
Additionally, it said a better command post was needed so public information officers would have one central place to respond.
Read the full Internal After-Action Report/Improvement Plan report from the Durham Fire Department here.
Read the full Considerations for Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attack Preparedness report here.