Newspaper article on NYC Authority clean air projects in Queens,

z o z X —I o to O • o o Tl c CT co o‘ to Tl 22 15 o I It looked like the core elevators of the building were blown guys that are dead today that were going into these buildings. 0) O o o c 3 o

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IlfiS ■•■IBM BO.. A»> Pl OTC Weeks after the attacks, firefighters continued to battle >• blazes In the rubble. At left, a wreckage of a fire truck.

too. US by surprise. I just remem­ w-Nioro There was so much panic ber that one of the officers and running, everybody was took all the keys to —- usually Robert Byrne, remember that. People saying, Firefighters and rescue spread. 1 don’t think every­ you park somewhere Mid the Rrefighter sixth grade ‘Thank you, guys.' I remember workers continue searches In body entered the building. I officer fakes the keys. That Assign^ to Engine Compaq 24 in another unit behind us. I don’t the days after Sept, lion a think some people just went officer was never found. Most ManhatUn. He was still faii^ing Ms remember what company titey roof of the World Financial up West Street and some of these vehicles were left oo (xobatienary duties and had to “beg” were with. One of the senior Center, above, and at World people went out the other the scene because the reason to come along guys was saying basically, Trade Center site, at left direction. They all were sepa­ is they didn’t have the keys. Sept. Uth, 1 arrived for work •Ytm’re almost tlttre, folks. rating. The officer that took the early to do my probationary ' You’re almost there.’ llien I WW»B We actually stayed about 20 keys, we never Rniad. J don’t firefighter duties so 1 was started joking around with the Foural a worliigeievalw ’Minutes here tvaiching people know who it was, but wc square with everything. When fxxiple. I said. 'Yeah, all this and usoi it in TOfth tower i'Jtnping out of the budding. never found them at that time we got the call to go, 1 was for 32 grand.' People thought it We made a left and came Actually they were jumping, period. Luckily Rick hud a able to — 1 had to beg the was funny. Th^ was my way to the north tower. We pro­ landing on West Street. There copy of the MERV (key), and nozzle man to let me take up of trying to mate them feel UL lwflL jUbjO*-*X- f.-a* '? .• ceeded 10 wait until jumpers was about 20 — we watched we wanted to move slow but on him. which I did. The call better. tcH them a joke.... were down. We went Into the about 18 to 20 people jump out wc had to stop because we came in around 8;46. so we I kept going up. I remember lobby. We arrived In the of the building, and they were were the only umbulance responded Immediately. So I seeing people coming down in lobby, awaiting instruUion.... landing on West Street or right active ar that moment, the had the knob.... the stairs.... ’We went up to the mezzanine in front of the World Trade MERV. While going to the trade It was around the 29th and we took an elevator. The Center. They told us to stop and center. I'm really doing my floor, I think it was, that we chief said that these elevators They were just landing in treat people, and that’s where stzc-up and saying, 'Oh, my decided to take some of our were, all right We look the front. We could watch them we stayed all night- God, there's like 10 floors gear off in order to make it up elevator, whsdr I believe goes and that’s it missing.' Everything is blowing IO the 80th floor.... Thal’s up to eight. We got oft at b'/ ’B' So we went out of that build­ Tiern^^h Cassidy, fire­ out fire. I remember looking where we left Rich Billy to be eight and proceeded la walk ing and ran into the park that’s fighter third grade. Engine 3 how high It is and say ing. ‘Oh. communications relay, basical­ up to 23, and then we went up behind the Winter Garden, in Manhattan* who dropped my God, how are we going to ly, because communicaiioos I© 25. Then wc made our way that area. It was too much Ms rope to trapped survi­ get up there with all of our were pretty peer in the stair­ back down. So we were either smoke coming out of the vors in a rubbte pile- equipment.... ‘ case. Personally I didn’t hear a on 23 or 21.1 don’t know.... whole area. ’’The life saving rope is taut We headed to the north lot of radio iransinissioss... I The lieutenant gave us 6-BC»T y.M.r. AM. .’.rji We ran to (he Stuyvesant now. I'm like 'Come on this tower at that time. When we remember somebody had instructions to make a thor­ High School, tliat I don’t sec in way. Fm just like directing Sm were going there. I remember gotten inlo a water dispense, ough search, pop alj the doors, tiun at that time was down. many years because they’re front of One World Trade the map there. We stayed a traffic you know get up to the seeing debris and whatnot and we took Poland Spring make sure everybody is out of On ray way to where the t<xi comfortable. Il’s not only Center. Thafs where we sm* few minutes there. Pct^le top of the girder again, and falling. When wc got to the bottles. 1 think it was Andy the building.... We probably EM.S enraraand center was, I keeping in practice to have a tioned at. Wc took our equip­ started running up West now It’s tough climb to get to staging area inside the lobby, I Brunn that got into it. We popped at least 10 or 15 doors went over there and I tried to lot of (inau^blc) to make sure ment. SfreeL Me and my partner tliat the girder. remember seeing other compa­ were giving them out to civil­ making a search.... At this speak to an EMS cliicf that 1 that everything is done correct­ The second explosion came was — we switched partners So I use my body like nies. I remember vividly see­ ians on their way dowa I point after wc made a thor­ have started coromunicatton, 1 ly- uj buUdiog numtirr two, In that because my partner parted — bridge. He gcis up on ray leg ing it looked like the core remcrnbcr later on we went up 0$ ^AV¥ ough search, wc located to­ had two different staging areas You have proper training, area. We didn’t actually see the Ride Perez, wc picked up the and then my shoulder and he’s elevators of the building were to — I don’t know If it was still gether via a stairwell At that set up for ambulance to re­ like the army had the war plane, but we beard the explo­ MERV (Major Emergency up on the girder. He lies there blown apart as If a giant bad on the 35th door and that's and gel out.’ That’s when we where 1 nm into a group of point, unbeknownst to us. the spond in case we need them. games and things like that. We sion. Wc were toU to go Into Response Vehicle) there be­ on top of the girder and he punched through tinfoil, i ^en we all dove inlo the basically evacuated... when civilians. When we got to the south tower fell. Wc iiidn’l At that lime, I was told to go have this command, this sys­ that building, Merrill Lynch cause it was abandoued be­ gives me the bluest hug and remember seeing some bodies, staircase because basically the! the chief told me to drop every­ point, I think it was the lobby. know that the south tower and see the captain. The cap­ tem. We should have that ri^t there, the buildi^ in the cause of the collapse of the he starts crying. For me it wax .., Debris was everywhere. I whole tower shook and we thing, because Em a proby, I and that’s where we had — wc fell. I didn’t have a radio be­ tain then told me to go see the more often, you know, and in a lobby to set up the triage. building. Wc proceeded cast- like ‘All right. No time for remember wc were Just wait­ heard the noise of something followed orders to T, I had a little overhead protec­ cause I had the can. But I chief. The chief told me to go city anything could happen. As soon as we set up triage bound to West Street, and wc sentiment. You’ve got to get ing for our assignmeni. going on. We didn't know guess, and I dropped every­ tion there, and then we had to heard there was a coibpse in back 10 rhe captain who told there, building number two stationed at Vesey and West. going you walk that way.’ ” From there we headed up, i what it was. What it was was thing, except for my bunker run across to the next over­ the north tower between the me I will be in charge of trans­ Paramedic Arturo Gonza- went down, and all (he win­ We were told to stop and treat believe it was behind (.adder the south tower collapsing. . , gear, of course- But I dropped head pmtection. It was about a 68ch and 70th floor. port right at the Chambers leA Battalion 8, who got a dows in the Merrill Lynch patients, because patients w^rc a Oral histories con­ 20, ;md we headed up to the We made it as far as, I my .Scott tank and everything. 75-foot run. There were jump­ When we heard the evac­ command center. call sending him to the lobby, they were all out. coming out of the area. tinue on pages 22-23 staircase A. We got as far as, believe it was rhe 37th floor, When I got down to that floor, ers utkI debris that was falling. uation, wc started our way After that. H just stayed World Trade Center* at We rats out of that building, When we were trying to rd say, the 13th floor initially. and! believe it was a chief he said. ’All right. Bymc. you We had lo pretty much take down. At this point we were (here until 2:30 in the morning, around 8;40 a.m. and we went to proceed to (he proceed north, we were We had lo take our first > blow because wc were carry- from the 11th Battalion that popped up on the staircase. don’t have your face piece. Just get out of the building.’... our chance when we made (he run.” still unaware that the other return to the station, and I “We went doun West Street We saw building num­ next building that was across the street I’m assuming that’s stopped at Vesey and West to treat patients, and we didn’t By the Minute. z tower went down. We were in went home. Excerpts of the-static- ing a lot of equipment. There His, exact words were ‘Drop It was a good thing I had the stairwell. We all re­ I think that we should Mart ber one had fire on the top the American Express building move from that location all $ filled eh^rgefrcy 5; were civilians jamming the everything and get out.' my flashlight on still, because Michael Brodbeefr couped at the stairwell be­ doing more drilling on an fioor. You could sec that right wo ended up on. And we went that time. Staircase. There was water - We k>^ed to Li. Hanson. We were hot expecting what transmissions wk mr §-< flowing down the Steifcase?!’’ and-be Said, 'Drop everything it was pilch black. I foUowed a pitdFbiack hallway, and that’S FireRghte- First Grade from Engne 210 fore it went down. When it went down, like everybody incident like this, as far as 1 think that we haven't done tn • actually from 34th Street. We parked at West Street in in that buildup and all the gloss exploded in tbit building h^spened there. They ca«^t IT