Joseph W. Pfeifer

Joseph W. “Joe” Pfeifer (1956 – )[1] is a retired Assistant Chief of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and the founder of the department’s Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness (CTDP). He was also a first responder and survivor of the September 11 attacks, and the first senior fire chief on site and responded to the World Trade Center on that day.[4][5]

Joseph W. Pfeifer
Born1956[1]
Nationality United States
EducationHarvard Kennedy School (M.P.A.)
Naval Postgraduate School[2]
AwardsKnight of the Ordre national du Mérite[3]
Known forfirst senior fire chief on site and responded during 9/11 attacks[4][5]
Firefighter career
DepartmentNew York City Fire Department
Battalion 1
Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness
Service years1981-2018[4]

Career

A native of Queens, New York, Pfeifer started his career as a firefighter in 1981,[4] with his first assignment to Engine 234 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and promoted to Lieutenant in August 1987, then Battalion Chief in 1997.[6]: 84, 152, 155 

On September 11, 2001, Pfeifer, then Chief of Battalion 1, was the first fire chief to arrive at the North Tower of World Trade Center,[4] witnessing the moment when American Airlines Flight 11 striked into the North Tower amid a gas leak inspection followed by French American documentary maker Jules and Gédéon Naudet at the intersection of Lispenard Street and Church Street. Setting up a Incident Command Post in North Tower’s lobby, Pfeifer coordinated the rescue plan with other chiefs on site,[5] and sent firefighters ascending to rescue people trapped above the impact zone.[7] He survived the tsunami wave of debris caused by the collapse of South Tower, and managed to egress the North Tower under poor visibility,[6]: 45 [8] bringing a bunch of people out as well as the deceased Father Mychal Judge, Chaplain of FDNY.[5]

Pfeifer at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, October 10, 2015.

After the September 11 attacks, Pfeifer left Battalion 1 and served as the Chief of Planning & Strategy of the FDNY Bureau of Operations.[9] He also made his effort to created the CTDP,[4] which was formally opened in 2004.[10] On November 5, 2009, Pfeifer was promoted from Deputy Assistant Chief to Assistant Chief.[11] During his tenure as the Chief of CTDP, Pfeifer played a vital role on the Effects of Hurricane Sandy in New York in 2012, served as an Incident Commander at the Metro North commuter train derailment at Spuyten Duyvil in 2013, and assisted in developing the Ebola response in NYC in 2014.[2]

In July 2018, Pfeifer retired from FDNY after 37 years of service,[8] making him the last fire chief on site of September 11 to leave the FDNY.[4] On September 12, 2021, he was awarded with Knight of the Ordre national du Mérite at the Consulate General of France, New York City by Philippe Étienne, Ambassador of France to the United States.[3]

Education and personal life

Pfeifer holds a Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) from Harvard Kennedy School, a Master in Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Master in Theology from Immaculate Conception.[2]

Pfeifer married to his wife, Ginny, on June 3, 1984.[6]: 86  They have two children, respectively Christine the elder, and Greg the younger.[6]: 9  Pfeifer's brother, Kevin J. Pfeifer, was also a FDNY firefighter, who sacrificed at the North Tower on the day of September 11.[7]

References
  1. "Pfeifer, Joseph, 1956-". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 2022-01-27. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  2. "Joseph W. Pfeifer". Harvard Kennedy School. Archived from the original on 2022-02-08.
  3. "Chief Joseph Pfeifer awarded with the National Order of Merit by France on September 12th, 2021". Consulate General of France in New York. 2021-09-12. Archived from the original on 2022-01-27. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  4. Jim Dwyer (2018-07-10). "The Last 9/11 Fire Chief Bows Out". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  5. "Chief Joseph Pfeifer of Battalion 1". New York Times. 2002-07-05. Archived from the original on 2021-03-09. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  6. Joseph Pfeifer (2021). Ordinary Heroes: A Memoir of 9/11. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-5933-3026-5.
  7. Lewis Rice, "Raising the Alarm", Harvard Kennedy School Magazine, Harvard Kennedy School, archived from the original on 2017-07-04
  8. Enjoli Francis; Eric Noll; Esther Castillejo (2018-07-11). "1st FDNY battalion chief to enter the north tower on 9/11 is retiring". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  9. "FDNY STRATEGIC PLAN" (PDF). New York City Fire Department. 2004. p. 62. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-22. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  10. "FDNY Counterterrorism and Risk Management Strategy" (PDF). New York City Fire Department. 2011. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-09-05. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  11. "Supplement No. 66 to Department Order No. 93" (PDF). New York City Fire Department. 2009-11-05. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
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