FDNY Lessons Learned

Brian Lehrer (0:10)

It's The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. Good morning, everyone. You've been hearing on the station and elsewhere, no doubt about Mayor Mamdani's decision to release thousands of documents, thousands, that the city government kept hidden from the public for the last 25 years. Documents that reveal things that city officials knew about toxins released into the air by the 9-11 attacks, which took place 25 years ago tomorrow.

SPEAKER_2 (0:38)

Administration after administration has ignored those calling for answers and clarity. Instead, choosing to bury them in legal arguments and in red tape.

We will do no such thing.

Brian Lehrer (0:50)

The mayor on Tuesday. Then yesterday, Lieutenant James Brosey, president of the FDNY Uniform Fire Officers Association, called for accountability for those past city officials based on what the union has already learned from the documents release.

James Brosey (1:07)

What we learned was the air was as toxic as we said it was. What we learned is that we were dying with every breath we took down there. What we learned is that the city knew it and failed to prioritize, one, a public safety announcement, two, proper decon, three, preventing us from eating down there and digesting the toxins, four, not letting people volunteer to clean up, five, not letting people get a HEPA filter vacuum and get a credit for it from the government as they self-clean their own apartments.

Brian Lehrer (1:35)

Lieutenant James Brosey, President of the FDNY Uniformed Fire Officers Association, who by the way also lost his father, Lieutenant Joe Brosey, to what is believed to be a 9-11 exposure related lung cancer in 2023

Joining us now on that and much more is Joseph Pfeifer, the first FDNY Chief to respond to the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001 He also lost his brother, FDNY Lieutenant, Kevin Pfeifer, in the attack. And he is author of the book Ordinary Heroes, A Memoir of 9-11, which has been reissued now with a new epilogue for this 25th anniversary. He says he tries to use the lessons of that day to prepare others for whatever crises they may face. Chief Pfeifer, thank you for your service, first of all, and for your brother's service, and welcome to WNYC.

Joseph Pfeifer (2:27)

Thank you, Brian. It's good to be on with you.

Brian Lehrer (2:30)

Would you start with some of your own story? You're described as the first FDNY chief to respond to the Trade Center on 9-11. How did that happen? Can you walk us through a little of the timeline of that day as it went for you?

Joseph Pfeifer (2:43)

Sure. That day started off as a beautiful summer day. We were called to a routine emergency and odor of gas in the street. As we were standing there, all of a sudden we heard a loud noise of a plane coming overhead. You usually don't hear planes in Manhattan because of the tall buildings. Then we saw this plane racing down the Hudson River at a very fast speed, and so low that I could read the words American on the fuselage. Then I saw this plane aim and crash into the World Trade Center.

In that moment, I knew this was not an accident, that this was a direct attack, and I told my firefighters to go to the Trade Center, and I got on the radio and said that the plane was aiming for the building, and then I transmitted multiple alarms. As we arrived, we saw the flames and the smoke coming from the top of the building. And we knew thousands of people were in their greatest moment of need.

And we went into the Trade Center. Yes, this is our job. This is what we do. But I could tell you that every firefighter, every medic, every police officer, everyone that responded that day and that went into the Trade Center, made a personal decision to go in because they knew they were going to the most dangerous fire of their lives. And they made a decision to go in to help people. And that's one of the things we should think about from that day.

The hundreds of responders running into danger.

Brian Lehrer (5:01)

343 of them didn't come out.

Joseph Pfeifer (5:07)

Yeah, we went in and 343 didn't make it.

And we lost 2,753 people all together at the World Trade Center. But there is another number we should consider, and that's the number of 17,000. With the firefighters running in to evacuate the building and rescue people, that day, we saved about 17,000 people.

Brian Lehrer (5:52)

That's great that you cite that. I think that's not a number that's in the public's imagination or memory.