We were trying to get through on the radio. At the third and fourth floors you couldn't go any further. The stairway was blocked. The roof rope was left on floor 17. Lieutenant Petti and Firefighter Angel Juarbe went to get the search rope. They also received a Mayday from a member of a ladder company. He reported that he was trapped and couldn't get out. As they went upstairs the lieutenant said to see about finding a way out.
At the fourth floor we ran into a civilian we had seen before. A firefighter had found a way through the debris blocking the stairs. They tried to shimmy down a beam. Looking down at the stairs, the ceiling was collapsed, there was a three-foot space where you were able to slide down. I radioed the lieutenant that we found a way out. The firefighter from Ladder 4 said he was losing consciousness, he had fallen several floors. I said turn on your PASS device. He said he couldn't reach it. Lieutenant Petti was between the eighth and 12th floors. Firefighter Mullen was waiting to show him the way we went.
I heard another roar, a deafening roar. The building started to shake. There was a pillar in front of me. I pressed up against it. It took 10 seconds for the north tower to collapse. I thought I was dead. Everything was rumbling and shaking around you. It tasted like you had 10 cotton balls in your mouth. I was trying to catch my breath. I lost my facepiece. I got my breath back. I fell forward and ping-ponged on other debris. I hurt my foot and ankle.
Outside the building the visibility was 20 to 40 feet. We kept calling on channel 3, but there was no answer. At a fire there is always someone outside to grab your arm and help you out. No one was there. I thought it might have been a nuclear bomb. I expected to see people tangled in debris. I saw no one dead on the way out. All that was visible was paper, rubble, steel and concrete. There weren't any people, computers or desks.
Someone said we lost 150, 200 firefighters. I said I hope it's not true.
Firefighter Adam Mazy
Tower Ladder 79 (was in Engine 3 on 9/11)
Four years
I worked the night tour. I was scheduled for overtime in Engine 34 on the day tour. I was walking toward my car when the first plane hit. The announcement came over the voice alarm. Engine 3 and the high-rise unit received a ticket to respond. The officer wouldn't let me ride. He said proceed to Engine 34. When I arrived at Engine 34, Engine 34 and Ladder 21 had already responded to the Trade Center. I jumped aboard Engine 26, who was sharing the firehouse because their station is under renovation. When we arrived, I didn't have a mask, so I went looking for Engine 34. I took the chauffeur's mask from Engine 3. I couldn't find Engine 34, so I went into the lobby of the north tower, then into the lobby of the hotel. Both lobbies were filled with firefighters.
In the hotel I met Ladder 12, who shares the firehouse with Engine 3. The company was told to switch to channel 2, the channel for the south tower, and search upstairs from the 14th floor. We walked upstairs and searched the 14th floor. We went into a room and took a break. I put some water on my face. I looked out a rear window and saw 10 or 15 bodies lying in the courtyard. Earlier, I had seen people jumping.
We searched floor 15, then we split into two teams. One team searched 16 and the other 17, then we regrouped. I opened the door to floor 19. The south tower started to collapse. It sounded like a bowling ball. I thought it might have been a bomb under the building like in 1993. I felt the wind - it sounded like all the doors were slamming closed. The wind came from above us. It threw us down the C stairs at the southernmost end of the hotel.
We started to make our way down when we received a Mayday. A firefighter from a ladder company was separated from his unit. He didn't know where he was. He had fallen a distance and was losing consciousness. Debris was blocking all the floors in the hallway. At the fifth floor debris blocked the stairway. We came upon several civilians who were located on the fifth floor. Entering the southernmost room, all you could see was white. It was quiet. There were little pockets of fire visible outside. The windows were broken. We figured the only way out was the window. The lieutenant and one firefighter were going to go back up to 19 to get the roof rope that was dropped and check again for the Mayday.
We ran into a firefighter, possibly from Engine 65. He had 50 feet of 21/2-inch hose from a standpipe pack. If we did use the hose to go out the window, it would only leave us at the third floor. Firefighters were able to clear the debris in the stairway and made it to the fourth floor. Outside the debris was so close to the hotel that you could just about walk out onto the debris. Another firefighter from Ladder 12 decided to go and assist the two members who went back upstairs. We heard over the radio that they did make it back upstairs.
Now the second tower collapsed. I tried to get back inside and dove in under a staircase with another firefighter from Ladder 12. The building shook, it was dark. We were buried underneath the stairs trapped under sheetrock and light sheet metal. I made a space large enough to crawl out.
The I-beams that were too far away after the first collapse were now propped up against the hotel. Before you would have had to jump to the beam, now you were able to slide down. The civilians were assisted down 30 or 40 feet. I fell off the beam. Something tore off my mask. I had to crawl hand over foot up and down over the debris. I traveled south and then west to the Hudson River.
I had wondered if I ever would go to a job where a firefighter died. That morning, I saw people jumping, I thought someone might die. Before 9/11, 13 firefighters died since I came on the job.
Firefighter Dennis Dowdican
Ladder 113
23 years
I was finishing the night tour. I rode in the cab as an extra man. We were sent to staging outside the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. We drove down Union Street and had an unobstructed view of the towers. I was looking for an extra mask. I said we are at war. We were told to respond and drove through the tunnel.
The rig was positioned just south of the south pedestrian bridge on West Street. I saw Chief Medical officer Dr. Kelly and Dr. Prezant. Dr. Prezant had some civilians he wanted to help. I told the doctor to walk the people towards the water. I looked up at the towers and said it's a long walk up. All of a sudden, the building started to look like a pancake. Smoke was going into it. One firefighter from an engine company dove under a car. I ran south on West Street and dove under a car. I could hear debris hitting the vehicle. I figured I couldn't outrun it.
We were all shook up. We regrouped. I still didn't have a mask. I didn't see too many people. It was completely dark and black. I walked towards the Marriott Hotel. A firefighter from a squad company said you know the next one is going to come down. Into the lobby of the Marriott, Lieutenant Brown had gotten to Lieutenant Nagel of Engine 58 who was trapped. Lieutenant Brown wanted to see if they could get in from another way. He needed more tools. We went outside to get them. We heard a rumbling and headed for the center support post of the south pedestrian bridge. We are not going to outrun this. All four of us from Ladder 113 and huddled. I heard the firefighters in front and behind me yell out they were getting hit by debris. I felt the water rise. It came over our boots when the water mains broke.
We said we have to find Lieutenant Brown. Walking to the hotel, the other members said we have Lieutenant Brown. There was a chief who was off duty and he said he was going to carry the lieutenant. Brown cried out in pain when he was lifted. Are you hurt pretty badly? He said I'm losing it. He had a head injury. They found a chair in an ambulance. Brown was carried up, over and around a lot of steel and debris. He was placed on a boat and taken to New Jersey for medical treatment.
Another firefighter from Ladder 113, Richie Nogan, was trapped in the hotel but was able to free himself and make it out and over the debris to safety.
Lieutenant Ray Brown
Ladder 113
22 years
I worked the night before, and I was supposed to work overtime in Ladder 111 and there was an officer coming here. I had called over to Ladder 111 and Lieutenant Chris Sullivan was working Engine 214. I said, I'll work in Engine 214. The officer who was coming here called up and said, oh, no, I'll go over there. Then he called up Chris and he was going to do the same switch. Chris got an EMS run before the hour and he stayed in 214, and he died.
They said, turn on the TV. You could see the flames coming out. All the guys were asking me, you worked in Manhattan, you had high-rise fires. I remember telling them this fire's not going out. We don't put out high-rise fires that big. When the fuel level diminished, we went in and knocked down the fires.
I was in Rescue 1 for six years. We had a transformer one year. We had a fire in the elevator another year. We rarely had fires down there. We're in the kitchen. We're watching it and everybody is thinking the same thing, oh my God, people are going to die. Firemen are going to be hurt. We didn't even want to even think that. While we're watching it, the second plane hit, and we got called to respond. I ran upstairs and I got my cell phone and I was trying to call my father. He is a retired battalion chief in the FDNY and the first chief of Rescue Services. He works for the Port Authority.
We were responding to a staging area near the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Almost the whole way there I was frantic. I was calling my father at work. I was calling him on the cell phone. I was calling my mother on my cell phone. I called my sister and I'm wondering where is he because I know he works in Jersey City. He goes to a lot of meetings at the Trade Center. I didn't get through. It was hairy driving over there because we had a view of it the whole time. We got to the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and we were there maybe five or 10 minutes and they sent us.
There were a bunch of companies there. There were a couple of battalion chiefs with us. We were getting hit with the ashes on the other side of the tunnel. You didn't really want to look at it too long. I had a great crew. I had Dennis Dowdican. He's been my chauffeur for 10 years. Willie Roberts, who's the other chauffeur in my 24 group, he's got over 20 years. Richie Nogan's got over 20 years. Bob Pino, another excellent fireman, he's got 12 years. Tom Fisa, 16 years. Bill Morris, 16 years. I had a very experienced crew.
I was telling the guys to sit down, relax, this is going to be a long day. We got called to respond to a staging area in Manhattan. Just as we're going into the tunnel, Tom Manley - he's the sergeant-at-arms of the firefighters union, and a member of this company - comes running up and he tells us they hit the Pentagon. He rode through the tunnel with us. We're driving through and I'm thinking, oh my God, this is war, maybe the tunnel is a target.
I tell my chauffeur go, just get through it, and we got through. We parked the rig at Liberty and West streets and I reported to the staging area and the chief. He said, 113 report to Building 2 at the command post. I went back to the rig and I told everybody get an extra bottle. Everybody check your mask here, get search ropes. I hadn't even gotten my mask on yet.
All of a sudden, we hear these incredible explosions. And I look up. I thought fire was breaking out on the upper floors. And then the debris starting hitting and I ran. And the reason I ran was because I didn't have my mask on. All the guys had their masks on, they hid under the rig. I ran across the street. I was getting hit with debris and I got knocked down. That dust, I had it in my mouth. I couldn't breathe. All of a sudden, it went pitch black. I thought it was the end of the world. My exact words to myself were they dropped the bomb on us and I'm going to die. People talk about a near-death experience, but I was calm, I realized maybe I'm not going to die.
I got up again and I started running and then I got hit with a bunch of stuff. There were people to the left and right of me getting hit with debris. I wasn't able to stop, but I'm sure they were getting killed. And then I happened to look to my right and I saw a wall. I ducked behind the wall and I heard more debris coming down. It was so quiet. You didn't hear a sound. You didn't hear a thing. I heard, help, fireman, help me, I can't breathe. And I remember telling people, you can breathe and I was telling the people to go to the river. It was like you were in a thick fog. There was maybe two or three feet visibility. All of a sudden, people would start popping up and, you know, you could barely hear them. And you couldn't even hear them until they were like right on top of you.
I realized I had to get back to my rig and see if my guys were OK. The fire truck was burning. There was so many ambulances burning it was incredible. You really couldn't see more than 20 feet in front of you. At this point, I still didn't know what happened. I still thought that fire broke out on every floor or they dropped the bomb somewhere. I didn't realize that the tower had collapsed. I could see fires in upper floors in all the buildings. When I got to the rig and I saw my guys I was relieved that they were all OK and then I felt a lot of pride that they were ready to go to work.
They got some equipment. I ran into Deputy Chief Tom Galvin, who had just come out of the Marriott Hotel. He came running up and he said 65 Engine and 58 Engine are trapped in the Marriott. They tied a search rope to a pillar where 58 Engine was trapped. When Chief Galvin told us about the guys in the Marriott, my chauffeur had an extinguisher and he was trying to put out the rig, and I told him forget about it. There were a couple of my guys who were trying to help civilians and I had to tell them to leave them, because in my mind, if you were walking or talking, you were OK. That was a hard thing to do. There were some people who were bleeding and moaning, but you had to leave them.
I said we've got to get into the Marriott. I told the guys get the sawzall. They already had the airbags. We went into the Marriott Hotel and I ran into a guy coming out who told me that there are firemen trapped in there. I grabbed him and told him to come with me. He took us back and when I got there, there were two guys from 58 Engine and one of them I knew. He said our lieutenant's trapped in here.
I was trying to assess the situation. The best way I've been able to describe it is if you took an accordion and you squished it completely, and then tried to cut a little piece out of it. He was OK. He was talking to us. He told us there were two chiefs and there was another company behind them. I also heard a Mayday from a company on the first floor in the Marriott and I responded to them and I told them, we're going to get you out, then we were starting to cut with the saws.
One of Engine 58's firefighters, Mike Fitzpatrick, was there. We gave him the portable sawzall and I told another guy we're under a void. I told John Wilson from 58 to keep an eye on the void. Mike Fitzpatrick and I crawled in and he started cutting to remove debris so we could get the lieutenant out. The lieutenant had asked for a flashlight. He told us he was OK and he kept asking how are his guys, he kept telling us about the guys behind him. It looked like a lot of ducts, pipes, aluminum and shelves. I mean, there was just so much stuff. Huge pipes, small pipes. There were a bunch of heating and ventilation ducts, just a tremendous amount of debris.
We were able to get about 10 feet in before we actually had to start cutting. We only had five to seven feet because we cut away about three or four feet. I sent Richie Nogan and Bob Pino out to get more equipment. I wanted a Hurst tool and I wanted the electric sawzall. I knew we were going to be there a long time. I wanted cribbing. I thought the Hurst tool would be best to spread, crib, spread, crib.
Even the guy next to me asks me, you were in Rescue 1, weren't you? I said yeah, I was in Rescue 1, but I never saw anything like this. I don't care how many years on the job you had, how many years you spent in any rescue company, this was just beyond anybody's capability.
A section of the lobby of the Marriott, the ceiling tiles were still intact. Which is incredible. Basically, the rest of the building came down in the section where he was located. If you were inside that reinforced area, you lived because that's why I'm alive. While we're in the Marriott, we're cutting away and it just seemed like an impossible feat, but I figured given time we were going to get him out. I remember even telling him yeah, we're going to get you out. He kept saying I'm OK, I'm OK.
After the first collapse, there was nothing on the radio. I was trying to call my guys and they weren't answering. And then all of a sudden, when I was in the Marriott, then I started hearing Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. My guys kept saying, there's a Mayday, but I had to tune it out because we had to take care of our own situation. One of my guys stayed with me and two other guys from 58 Engine came in with a partner saw. This wasn't something that you could use a partner saw on. I was afraid of the vibrations and so I told the one guy to keep an eye on that void on the overhang.
Mike Fitzpatrick and I went into the hole and after that I don't remember. They told me that I yelled, get out. They told me that they heard a rumble. The guys from 58 were in the Marriott when the first tower came down, so when they heard that rumble, they knew it was a major collapse. I woke up for about a second or two. They found me in the lobby about 15 or 20 feet from where I had been. Apparently, I got hit with some stuff and thrown across the room. The only reason they found me is because they saw my flashlight.
One of the guys came up. He said, are you OK, and I said no, I said, I'm losing it. They got kind of worried and they ended up carrying me out up over 40 feet of rubble. When they got me to the top of the rubble, one of the guys tried to throw me over his shoulder and that's when I woke up for a second. I had five fractured ribs. The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital six hours later.
The guys did a great job. They got me to the fireboat and they took me to a Jersey City hospital. I think I was in the same boat as Al Fuentes. I worked with Al in Rescue 1. I had a concussion. I got stitches on my chin, about 25 stitches in the back of my head. I had five fractured ribs. I was bruised on my back from my hips all the way up to my neck. My lower back was hurt, my neck, my right shoulder was hurt, my hip. Both kneecaps were bruised. I was out almost four months.
The thing that was weird was being in the hospital and not knowing what went on. From what I understand, they had me listed as MIA. They actually listed me as DOA, I believe. There's an office at 113. My brother was there for 12 hours. He didn't know what happened. He just knew that my rig was burned. Now I have two cousins on the job also that went down there and all they knew was they saw my rig and they heard that I was the officer that day, but they didn't know where I was.
When I woke up in the hospital, the doctor said to me, did you hear your men are OK, your father's OK? I didn't know for six hours. I knew my brother wasn't working, so I didn't have to worry about him. With any line-of-duty death, you know the names, the company, you know how long they've been on the job. That's why this is so mind boggling.
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