My name is Warren Smith. On 9/11/2001 I responded to the World Trade Center as a
lieutenant in Ladder 9.
As many of you will remember, September 11 th , 2001, was a beautiful “Indian Summer”
kind of day. At 8:30 am it was already close to 70 degrees without a cloud in the sky.
Our firehouse is located on Great Jones Street just off the Bowery in Lower Manhattan.
Approximately 2 miles from the World Trade Center. I was the lieutenant on duty in
Ladder 9 for the day shift starting at 9 am. On a day like this, before 9 am roll call
members will quite often bring a fresh cup of coffee out to the front of quarters to shoot
the breeze. Today was no exception.
At around 8:45 am a plane flew directly over the firehouse. Lots of planes fly over
Manhattan so normally it’s not a big deal. Except that this one was not a few thousand
feet up but just over the skyline. Making the first of many incredibly loud noises we
heard that day. Then came the second. It was the impact of that same plane crashing
into the North Tower. As it happened, we did not know the source of what sounded like
a sonic boom or massive explosion of some kind.
Quickly after, the department radio traffic and the breaking news on the housewatch
TV told us all we needed to know. It was going to be a day we would not soon forget.
Even if we wanted to.
We all suited up, pulled the rig out onto the apron and waited for our number to be
called. We didn’t have to wait long. Engine 33, quartered with us, was called first. Then
us. Both companies were ordered to respond to the North Tower lobby. Throughout the
city, as companies were called, firefighters coming off the night shift were jumping on
the rig to help in any way they could. Some officers were not allowing this to happen. I
thought it’d be better if they were with us rather than responding on their own. As most
officers did. So, we responded with two off duty members to bring our total response
team to eight.
While we were responding we were getting conflicting reports as to whether both
towers were hit. How big was the plane? Or planes? Lots of confusion on the air waves
while we were trying to get all the facts en route. As we got closer to the Towers
responding from the north side, we could see one very large plume of smoke emanating
from the North Tower. As we got closer the South tower was struck by the second plane.
We now knew that any chance of the first plane crash being an accident was no longer
an option. With the debris crashing down from the impact of the second plane, I ordered
our chauffeur to park the rig farther away from the Towers than we may have liked. It

ended up being right near St Paul’s Chapel. Which later became known as “The Little
Chapel That Stood” after it miraculously survived the ensuing collapse of both towers.
As we made our way towards the lobby entrance of the North Tower, we were no longer
dodging debris. Mostly floating papers and people running out. The old adage, firemen
run in while others run out was never truer. But at this operation there was an even
more shocking development. They were not only running out, but they were also
jumping out! I told my men to constantly look up to avoid being struck. Once inside the
lobby we observed chaos everywhere. Except at the FDNY command post. Considering
the South tower had just been hit, they were doing their very best to coordinate a plan
and direct all units where needed based on radio reports and experience. Which had to
be difficult because at this point, this was unlike anything we’d ever experienced.
After the bombing at the WTC in 1993 we talked a lot at the kitchen table about how we
felt they were trying to bring the building down. There’s a real good chance that most
buildings in most cities would have so we knew it was just a matter of time before they’d
try again. 8 years later here we were. We were very well-trained in dealing with most
any fire or emergency you could imagine. But a terrorist act? Not as much. This was
war.
We reported into the command post and were told to stand fast initially. Shortly after,
and with all of the elevators out of service, we were ordered to make our way up to the
fire area via Stairway B and assist in the evacuation, search and rescue of any civilians
in the building. With the stairwell full of thousands of civilians in the process of
evacuating, us carrying heavy equipment and checking floors for people continuing to
work, there were more than a few, it was a slow go. Maybe a floor per minute at best.
As officers we also have the added responsibility of keeping our team together. I
reinforced this with my men and in addition I paired junior men with senior men in case
we got split up. Considering the chaotic conditions, varying degrees of physical fitness
and very poor radio communication, it was considerably more difficult than I’d ever
experienced at any other hi-rise fire before. It must happen….so we made it happen.
We could only move as fast as our slowest firefighter would allow us to.
As we ascended higher and higher in the North Tower, we quite literally ran into an FBI
agent on his way down who informed us of the fact that there were more planes in the
air whose destination was unknown and could be heading here. With that in mind, we
kept on.
Also, civilian evacuees were dwindling down to almost zero. Every civilian we
personally came across was not injured in any way. Panicked yes. Tired yes. But
unharmed. We knew that would change as we got closer to the jets impact. We also
started to smell jet fuel as it made its way down the building. This was not good.

Running into burn victims, those that were trapped or non-ambulatory and civilians with
smoke inhalation or heart conditions was now just a matter of time.
At this point the biggest hurdle became radio communication. Or to be more accurate,
lack thereof. The FDNY was in the process of upgrading our radios, but they weren’t
quite ready for “prime time.” After the WTC bombing in1993, seeing our difficulty
communicating at such a large-scale event, the Port Authority installed a repeater
system. This system was designed to increase the distance and boost the signal
between radios to relay messages. This is critically important to save lives.
Unfortunately, this system was not functioning as advertised on 9/11 and inevitably
played a major role in the number of emergency personnel fatalities.
To stay together as a unit, every few floors we would get all members of Ladder 9
together and once we were, we then would continue on up. With our turnout coats, a
heavy load to carry and no AC in the stairwell it was extremely hot. Men were
overheating. To stay hydrated finding water anywhere on these floors became a high
priority. Every firefighter had to go at their own pace if they wanted be of any value once
we arrived at the fire scene.
We were in the process of regrouping on the 35 th floor of the North Tower when we
happened to meet up with Engine 33, other firefighters and a battalion chief. Engine 33
had responded and started up before us, but engine companies were carrying roll-ups
(hose lines), which are even heavier than the tools truck companies carry. As I was
heading over to the chief to inform him of what the FBI agent had shared and gather
any information beyond what we knew, all hell broke loose. It got extremely loud; all the
lights went out and our building literally shook like a rag doll. That’s the best way to
describe it. An unbelievably shocking experience. Because when a building of this size
shakes like that all your thinking at that point is, “What the hell was that!”
Poor radio communication and our location at that moment being more towards the
center of the building with no window view, we knew considerably less than any person
that had a TV anywhere in the world. And here we were, on the 35 th floor! What people
at home knew that we did not was that all this chaos was being caused by the complete
and total collapse of the South Tower. The second building hit was the first to collapse.
Based on the FBI info we had, we thought there was a strong possibility that another
plane had intentionally crashed into our building. Absolutely no idea that it was a
collapse. Insane?! But sadly true!
Throughout the operation, we were getting numerous reports containing urgent
messages and maydays. Mostly due to members pushing themselves to get to the
upper floors, with chest pains, in need of oxygen or worse. With the WTC repeater
system being inactive, most of the communication being transmitted that we could
actually hear, was only from firefighters in our immediate vicinity. Within a few floors at

best. Considering there weren’t many firefighters this high up, radio traffic was relatively
light.
After this latest development, however, radio traffic increased tenfold. Because we had
a chief with us, we immediately looked to him for guidance. He either received a
message relayed from the lobby command post or made a command decision for us to
evacuate. We began to make our way down in a calm and orderly manner. We certainly
knew evacuating a hi-rise building was a last resort and an unprecedented move by the
FDNY. Working for 20 years in Manhattan and seeing my share of major hi-rise fires, I
knew our protocol was always to set up a staging area below the fire floor to strategize
and organize operations. So, at this point we were of the thought that we would be
staging and regrouping outside the North Tower. With the goal being to head back up
once that was accomplished. Ordering us to completely evacuate a hi-rise building gave
me a sense of urgency that I did not observe in everyone. I now knew that our descent
would also include sharing this order and our heightened sense of urgency with every
firefighter we met. Many of whom were still carrying heavy equipment, doing their very
best to stay together as a unit and gathering themselves to continue their ascent.
Because I was right next to a chief when the evacuation order was given, I didn’t realize
it until later that these men weren’t ignoring the order. They never heard it!
We had now been in the building for about an hour. With very few civilians left in the
building and not a whole lot of fire personnel at this level, initial progress was good but
quickly slowed to a crawl. While on a landing and not going anywhere fast, a firefighter
stepped into the stairwell, tapped me on the shoulder and let me know that the next
stairway over was clear. After informing my men and others nearby, we headed to that
stairwell. Our descent was unimpeded for most of the way. As we got closer to the
lobby, we slowed once again but eventually made our way into the lobby. It was then
that all my impressions and thoughts of what had been going on while we were up in the
North Tower immediately went out the window. Chaos, confusion, debris, broken
windows and an abandoned lobby made it obvious that we would not be going back up
anytime soon. In fact, it was quite the opposite. We had the sense that we needed to
get far away from this scene. And fast. A chief just outside the lobby frantically and
urgently waving for everyone to head north, confirmed this. He didn’t say why but the
look on his face told us all we needed to know. He knew the South Tower had collapsed.
We still did not fully comprehend what had caused all this debris.
It had taken us a little less than a half hour to exit the building. At this point staying
together as a unit was not easily done. I did come in visual and radio contact with my
men on the way down and knew I was the last one out. Now it has become all about
meeting up at a safe distance as a unit before anything else. I immediately came across
two of my men sitting on a curb. They were obviously exhausted and resting until they
could gather themselves and continue evacuating north. I told them to join us, and we

all moved on to connect with the rest of our team. We now have four members of
Ladder 9 together. Just as we got to West Street, all hell broke loose for the second
time. We heard it before we saw it. The sound was deafening. I turned to see a sight I
never imagined and will never forget as long as I’m alive. The North tower that we had
just exited was in the midst of collapse with a massive cloud heading towards us. I later
learned that the total collapse of the North Tower took less than 10 seconds. Our
survival instinct kicked in and we began to run up West Street. Eventually the cloud
caught up to us. We continued to run as fast as we could even though visibility was now
zero. Thinking I would be struck by a beam or concrete at any moment, I honestly
thought we were about to die. I can’t tell you exactly how long we were running blindly
but visibility gradually improved until we were in total daylight once again. It was a
beautiful moment and an even more beautiful sight. I was unharmed and alive. We were
covered in dust and couldn’t see very well. We had turnout gear and helmets on so with
our eyes and face being fully exposed, it was caked on our faces quite heavily. We must
have been quite a sight. We kept moving and did connect with another member of our
company. We now had five members of Ladder 9 accounted for. As we headed up West
Street, we noticed countless ambulances lined up one after another waiting for
survivors. Anticipating huge numbers, but only getting a few, they were quick to help us
wash out our eyes and face. A couple of my men needed further medical attention. Now
that we were out of harms way, I left them with EMS and continued to search for our
missing members. Our radios worked but were eerily silent. There just weren’t a lot of
firefighters around. I remember thinking where the hell is everybody?!
We did get word that there was a staging area being set up at Ladder 8 and headed
there. No staging area but we did find surviving members of Ladder 8 and watched the
TV footage of the collapse of both towers running on what seemed like an endless loop.
It was also here that we heard hundreds of firefighters, first responders and civilians
were missing.
We discovered the actual staging area was Ladder 20 so we moved on. Anticipating this
was where all survivors were gathering, we expected this was where our remaining
members would be. That wasn’t the case. We were the first survivors they were seeing.
Turned out this was a staging area for off duty firefighters and even retirees, organizing
search and rescues operations. We wanted to join them but the chief in charge told us
no way that was happening. You guys have been through enough and we have plenty of
firefighters available. I sent one of my men up to Ladder 9’s quarters while I remained at
Ladder 20 for news of our missing men and all the other firefighters unaccounted for.
Throughout the operation, thoughts of our family and what they must be witnessing
was a constant. As we were making our way up West Street, we tried getting through to
them by landline and cell. We wanted them to know we were alive. With landlines
overloaded and cell phone coverage in their infancy in 2001, this was nearly impossible.

I will never forget the moment I was able to let my pregnant wife know I was alive.
Without a doubt this was the highlight of a day that was totally dominated by “low” lights.
At some point I returned to Engine 33/Ladder 9’s quarters. Then home. Praying for a
miracle the entire time. Which never came. The FDNY had 343 fatalities on the most
tragic day of our 159 year existence and America lost a total of 2.997 souls. This
includes the plane crash in Pennsylvania and the attack on the Pentagon.
America must never forget this day. As a society we cannot. Or it will happen again.
The civilians and emergency workers directly involved in this horrific act of terrorism will
not only never forget, but they also can’t. The mental anguish, survivors’ guilt and a
heightened response to loud noises permeate our thoughts on an almost daily basis.
Most learn to live with it. The alternative is even scarier. Our families need us. You all
need us. While that may sound a bit overstated, I believe us survivors are needed to
remind people to “Never forget and always remember.” Remember all that gave their
lives that day. Remember those that survived but continue to suffer the consequences
of the toxic air and dust we inhaled from the collapse and for months after. More
firefighters have since died due to that “bad air” then actually died on 9/11.
And always remember the first responders that continue to run in while civilians run out.
Not only on 9/11 but every single day we are called upon to do so. Without hesitation.
SO PLEASE, NEVER FORGET.