WORLD TRADE CENTER TASK FORCE INTERVIEW BATTALION CHIEF EDWARD HENRY

Transcription

1 FILI WORLD TRADE CENTER TASK FORCE INTERVIEW BATTALION CHIEF EDWARD HENRY INTERVIEW DATE DECEMBER TRANSCRIBED BY ELIZABETH SANTAMARIA

2 MR LAKIOTES IS THE TIME IS APPROXIMATELY 1215 HOURS MY NAME IS CHIEF ARTHUR LAKIOTES NEW YORK CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT SAFETY COMMAND AM CONDUCTING AN INTERVIEW WITH BATTALION CHIEF EDWARD HENRY 40 BATTALION REGARDING THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER IF YOU WOULD TAKE ME FROM THE TIME OF YOUR RESPONSE TO RIGHT THROUGH THE WHOLE DAYS EVENTS IF YOU CAN WE RESPONDED FROM THE 40 BATTALION QUARTERS WE WERE TOLD TO GO TO THE BATTERY TUNNEL AND NOT TO GO INTO MANHATTAN STAY IN BROOKLYN THAT WAS THE ORIGINAL INSTRUCTION ON THE WAY HEADING TOWARDS THE BATTERY TUNNEL AND IN THE REAR WE HAD REGULAR AM RADIO THAT WE HAD IN THE CAR THAT THE SECOND BUILDING WAS HIT THE FIRST BUILDING WAS ALREADY HIT THE SECOND BUILDING WAS NOW HIT BY THE TERRORIST PLANE AT THAT POINT ON THE DEPARTMENT RADIO WE WERE INSTRUCTED NOT TO STOP IN BROOKLYN BUT TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE BATTERY TUNNEL AND TO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER AREA AS WE ENTERED THE BATTERY TUNNEL THERE WAS HEAVY TRAFFIC AND WE WERE HELD UP FOR WHILE

3 WAS RIGHT BEHIND TH 48 BATTA1I WHEN WE LEFT THE TUNNEL PEOPLE FINALLY MOVED THE TRAFFIC AND WE CONTINUED INTO MANHATTAN AND TURNED UP WEST STREET WE PARKED THE CAR ON WEST STREET SOUTH OF THE TOWERS BOTH TOWERS WERE BURNING AS WE GOT OUT OF THE CAR THERE WERE BODY PARTS IN THE STREET ON WEST STREET AT THIS EARLY PART SO THE ONLY THING COULD FIGURE WAS THAT THESE PEOPLE WERE EITHER PEOPLE IN THE PLANE OR PEOPLE WHO WERE DRIVEN OUT OF THE BUILDING THERE WERE NO JUMPERS AT THIS TIME REPORTED UP TO THE COMMAND POST WHICH WAS ON THE WEST SIDE OF WEST STREET AND STAYED THERE FOR LITTLE WHILE EVENTUALLY WHO DID YOU SEE THERE DO YOU REMEMBER ANYBODY YOU SAW THERE CHIEF GANCI SPOKE TO CHIEF GANCI HE SAID STAND FAST WITH THAT PEOPLE STARTED JUMPING OUT THE WINDOWS FROM ABOVE THE FIRE SPLATTERING ON THE SIDEWALK IT WAS SCENE LIKE HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE WATCHED SEVEN OR EIGHT PEOPLE TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH DIDNT FEEL LIKE WATCHING IT ANYMORE SO WENT TO CHIEF GANCI AND SAID DO YOU HAVE

4 ANYTHING SAID INT TH MARRIOTT HOTEL AND MAKE SURE THE UNITS ARE ON CHANNEL AND CHANNEL BELIEVE HE SAID THE SAFETY CHIEF WAS WITH HIM HANDING ME PAPER CHIEF TURI THINK HE HANDED ME PAPER WITH THE TWO FREQUENCIES ON IT WE HAD TO WALK SOUTH ON WEST STREET TO AVOID BEING HIT BY PEOPLE JUMPING OUT OF THE WINDOW MY AIDE AND WALKED SOUTH ON WEST STREET WE GOT NEAR WALK OVER BRIDGE WE RAN ACROSS THE STREET AND WE ENTERED THE VISTAMARRIOTT HOTEL FROM THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING TO AVOID THE FRONT WHERE THE PEOPLE WERE COMING DOWN WE ENTERED THE VISTA HOTEL THROUGH THE BAR AND INTO THE CENTER PORTION OF THE HOTEL GAVE THE REPORT TO CHIEF GALVIN HE WAS IN THE COMMAND POST INSIDE OF THE VISTA HOTEL HE TOLD ME HE WANTED ME TO GO TO THE 70TH FLOOR OF BUILDING OF BUILDING BELIEVE AND CHECK ON CERTAIN COMPANIES DONT REMEMBER THE COMPANY BUT ONE COMPANY REMEMBER WAS LADDER 122 THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE UP THERE FOUND OUT LATER THAT THEY HAD NOT LEFT THE LOBBY AREA AT THAT TIME FOUND THIS OUT LATER ON SO ASKED HIM HOW TO GET TO TOWER AND HE

5 DIR MY ILZFT TH LIFT SIDE TH VISTA TURNED FOR MINUTE TO TALK TO MY AIDE TO TELL HIM WHERE YOURE GOING AND EVERYTHING AND WITH THAT THE VISTA HOTEL COLLAPSED IT COLLAPSED ON MY LEFT SIDE AND ON MY RIGHT SIDE IN THE MIDDLE WHERE ME AND MY AIDE JOHN PICARELLO WERE IT DID NOT COLLAPSE IT WENT COMPLETELY BLACK YOU COULDNT SEE YOUR HAND IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE WAS ACTUALLY RIGHT NEXT TO THE COLLAPSE IT TORE MY HELMET OFF MY HEAD AND IT THROUGH THE LIGHT OUT OF MY HAND STILL HAD MY MASK HAD NO LIGHT COULDNT SEE ANYTHING FORTUNATELY COUPLE OF THE WORKERS THAT WERE WITH US HAD SMALL FLASHLIGHTS WHICH TOOK ONE OF THE FLASHLIGHTS TRIED TO CALM EVERYBODY DOWN AND TOLD THEM WE HAD TO FIND WAY OUT CHIEF BRIAN OFLAHERTY FOUND DOOR BEHIND THE MAIN DESK OF THE HOTEL THE DOOR LED TO STAIRWAY GOING DOWN QUITE LONG STAIRWAY GOING DOWN TO THE THOUGHT IT WAS THE BASEMENT OF THE VISTA HOTEL HE RAN DOWN AND STAYED NEAR THE RAN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS AND STAYED NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS INSTRUCTED ONE OF THE WORKERS FROM THE BUILDING WHO HAD LIGHT TO STAY AT THE TOP OF

6 TH STAIRS TH WH WITH US STAYED UPSTAIRS WENT TO THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS AND KEPT CALLING OUT TO THE CHIEF ASKING HIM IF HE FOUND DOOR EVENTUALLY HE CALLED BACK TO ME AND SAID HE FOUND DOOR RELAYED THE MESSAGE UP TO THE MEMBERS WHO WERE ON THE FIRST FLOOR OF THE VISTA HOTEL AND THEY ALL CAME DOWN THE STAIRS WOULD SAY IT WAS SOME FIREMEN MOSTLY WORKERS FROM THE VISTA HOTEL OF THE ONES WHO KNOW WERE THERE FOR SURE WAS BRIAN OFLAHERTY AND WAS TOLD THAT CHIEF STACK WAS IN THE BACK BUT DID NOT SEE HIM BECAUSE IT WAS SO DARK WAS TOLD HE WAS THERE ANYWAY WE WENT DOWN THE STAIRS AND WENT THROUGH CORRIDOR WHICH WAS UNDER WHICH UNDERSTAND NOW WAS UNDER BUILDING OF THE TRADE CENTER WHEN GOT TO THE END OF IT WE OPENED THE DOOR AND WE GOT OUT THERE WAS LITTLE AREA WAY LITTLE FOOT HIGH WALL AROUND THIS THING MAYBE 10 BY 10 WITH FOOT WALL CHIEF OFLAHERTY TOLD ME HE COULD NOT CLIMB OVER THE WALL AND SAID ILL CLIMB OVER THE WALL AND ILL GO LOOK FOR ANOTHER EXIT WHICH WE KNEW THERE WAS ONE LITTLE BIT TO THE RIGHT

7 THAT EXIT TH WAS LOT OF RUBBLE OUTSIDE CLIMBED OVER THE WALL WENT AROUND TO THE EXIT AND REMOVED THE RUBBLE PULLED THE DOOR OPEN CALLED INSIDE FOR ALL THE MEN WHO KNEW WERE WAITING IN THERE AND GOT NO ANSWER SO IT WAS MY CONCLUSION THAT THEY MUST HAVE CLIMBED OVER WALL SOMEWHERE THEY MUST HAVE DECIDED NOT TO WAIT FOR ME AND THEY CLIMBED OVER WALL AND JUST GOT OUT THE SAME WAY GOT OUT AT THIS POINT STARTED WALKING WAY FROM THE TOWER TOWER NUMBER STARTED WALKING AWAY FROM IT AND WAS LOOKING UP AT IT WHEN IT WAS BURNING READILY AT THIS POINT DID NOT KNOW THAT TRADE CENTER COLLAPSED WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT TRADE CENTER CORRECTION TRADE CENTER DID NOT KNOW THAT WORLD TRADE CENTER NUMBER HAD COLLAPSED ALREADY THOUGHT THE ONLY THING THAT COLLAPSED WAS THE VISTA HOTEL THAT WAS IN IF HAD KNOWN CERTAINLY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN STANDING THERE LOOKING AT TOWER AND WATCHING IT BURN SO STUFF WAS COMING DOWN EQUIPMENT WAS COMING DOWN FALLING OUT OF THE BUILDING AND WAS AFRAID WAS GOING TO GET HIT WITH SOME OF IT SO PROCEEDED TO AN AREA WHERE THERE WAS LIKE PORTICO

8 PART TH PART TH TRADE IT WAS SUBSTANTIAL PORTICO IT WAS HELD UP WITH FOUR SMALL POSTS AS REMEMBER AND GOT UNDER THAT SO WOULD NOT BE HIT BY ANYTHING THE ONLY TWO PEOPLE WHO WERE UNDER THAT WAS MYSELF AND FELLOW WHO LEARNED LATER WAS DISPATCHER FROM THE JERSEY CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT HE WAS TAKING PICTURES CALLED MY AIDE ON MY RADIO AND HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON GOT THROUGH TO THE WHOLE DAY HAD LOT OF RADIO TROUBLE WHEN GOT THROUGH TO HIM ASKED HIM IF HE WAS OUT AND IF THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO WERE WITH US WERE OUT HE SAID YES EVERYBODY WAS OUT THEY ALL GOT OUT THE SAME WAY THAT GOT OUT THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WAS WALKED AWAY FROM BUILDING ASSUMED WAS WALKING WAS WALKING SOUTH ASSUME MIGHT NOT BE WRONG DIDNT END UP THERE ENDED UP OVER HERE INDICATING ASSUME WAS WALKING SOUTHEAST AWAY FROM THE TRADE CENTER COULD BE WRONG ON THAT BUT WAS WALKING AWAY FROM TOWER NUMBER WITH THAT HEARD THIS NOISE LIKE FREIGHT TRAIN COMING THE FELLOW WHO WAS TAKING THE PICTURES STARTED TO RUN AND STARTED TO RUN WITHIN ONE SECOND THIS WHOLE

9 FLOOR MY FACE WAS INCHES OFF THE FLOOR AS ROCKS AND RUBBLE AND EVERYTHING WERE ROLLING PAST ME THE ONLY THING THAT KEPT ME ALIVE WAS WHEN THIS CAME DOWN WHEN THIS THING CAME DOWN ON TOP OF ME APPARENTLY IT HIT SOMETHING AND IT STOPPED ABOUT FEET ABOVE ME IT WASNT THAT IT WAS ANOTHER THING IT WAS OVER HERE SOMEWHERE INDICATING SO WHAT HAPPENED WAS LAID THERE PULLED THE HELMET OVER MY HEAD WAITED FOR ALL THIS RUBBLE TO PASS BY ALL THESE ROCKS AND EVERYTHING WERE ROLLING SHORTLY THEREAFTER THEY STOPPED AND THIS BIG CLOUD OF DUST WHERE YOU COULDNT SEE ANYTHING IT WAS LIKE FOG PERMEATED THE AREA DECIDED BETTER TRY TO CRAWL OUT OF THERE MY LEGS WERE PINNED LITTLE BIT NOT TOO BAD WAS ABLE TO GET THEM LOOSE AND CRAWLED TOWARDS WHERE FELT COLD AIR ON THE SIDE OF MY FACE AND CRAWLED AND CRAWLED AND CRAWLED AND FINALLY GOT OUT INTO THE OPEN AIR AND SAW EITHER LADDER ENGINE OR ENGINE IM NOT SURE IT WAS AN ONE DIGIT NUMBER IT WAS EITHER OR THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING AND THE LIGHTS WERE FLASHING BUT THE AMOUNT OF DEBRIS ON THE SIDE OF IT WAS 30 TO 40 FEET HIGH COULD NOT

10 INT TH RIG WHICH WAS MY INT 10 INTO THE RIG AND CALL ON THE DEPARTMENT RADIO MY NEXT THOUGHT WAS WELL MAYBE SHOULD CRAWL UNDER THE RIG TO PROTECT ME FROM ANYTHING ELSE THAT WAS FALLING THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING AND THOUGHT THAT IF CRAWLED UNDER THE RIG MIGHT DIE FROM CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING SO AT THAT POINT CONTINUED SAID JUST BETTER CONTINUE CRAWLING AWAY KEPT CRAWLING AWAY CRAWLING AWAY AND THEN FINALLY GOT TO THE OUTSIDE GOT TO THE FRESH AIR COULD SEE THE CLEAR BLUE SKY JUST BEFORE THAT HAD SOMETHING HAD FALLEN ACROSS MY BACK IT GAVE ME TERRIFIC WELT ACROSS MY BACK AND IT WAS VERY PAINFUL COULD HARDLY CRAWL BUT HAD TO CRAWL TO GET AWAY FROM IT CRAWLED LITTLE MORE AND WAS OUT INTO SAW THE CLEAR BLUE SKY THE FIRST THING SAW IN THE CLEAR BLUE SKY WAS THREE FIGHTER PLANES COMING OVER AND SAID GEEZ WHAT HAPPENED ARE WE AT WAR WHAT IS IT CRAWLED LITTLE MORE AND FOUND THE GUY WHO WAS THE DISPATCHER FROM JERSEY CITY HE WAS LAYING ON THE FLOOR ON HIS BACK TELLING ME HE THINKS HE WAS HAVING HEART ATTACK WAS IN NO POSITION TO

11 HIM HARDLY WALK HIM CLIAR 11 ALL THE DUST AND DEBRIS OUT OF HIS MOUTH AND LAY THERE QUIETLY AND TRY TO BREATHE SOME FRESH AIR AND THAT HE WOULD BE ALL RIGHT SO HE DID THAT AND WE BOTH LAID THERE TOLD HIM THAT SOMEBODY WOULD COME TO GET US SHORTLY WE LAID THERE FOR SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF TIME BECAUSE APPARENTLY EVERYBODY ON WEST STREET WAS EITHER DEAD OR INCAPACITATED WE LAID THERE WOULD ESTIMATE AT LEAST 15 MINUTES AND NOBODY CAME FINALLY SAW FIREMAN AND WAVED TO HIM THE FIREMAN CAME AND TOLD HIM WE NEEDED TWO BACK BOARDS HE SAID ILL BE RIGHT BACK HE LEFT AND HE DIDNT COME BACK FOR ANOTHER 15 MINUTES GUESS THERE WAS SO MUCH CONFUSION AND SO FEW PEOPLE AROUND THAT HE HAD LOT OF TROUBLE GETTING THE BACK BOARD ANYWAY FINALLY HE CAME BACK TO MAKE LONG STORY SHORT THEY PUT US ON THE BACK BOARDS AND THEY WALKED THEY WALKED THEY PUT US ON TWO SEPARATE BACKBOARDS AND THEY WALKED WITH US IT SEEMED LIKE FOREVER LONG LONG TIME ALL COULD SEE WAS THE BLUE SKY AND THEY PUT US IN AN AMBULANCE IN THE AMBULANCE WAS WOMAN AN OFFICE WORKER WHO WAS VERY VERY UPSET AND MALE OFFICE WORKER WHO TOLD

12 THAT HAD FR TH 25TH F1 THEY LOADED US AND THOSE TWO PEOPLE AND SHORTLY AFTER THAT WE LEFT AND THEY TOOK US THERE WAS ALL SORTS OF CRAZY RUMORS GOING ON 12 THE EMS WOMAN IN THE AMBULANCE TOLD ME THAT THE BEEKMAN DOWNTOWN HOSPITAL HAD JUST BEEN BLOWN UP SO THEY WANTED TO TAKE US TO OUTLYING HOSPITALS NOW ENDED UP IN COLUMBIA PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL THE ALAN PAVILION WHICH IS NOT WHERE REGULAR COLUMBIA PRESBYTERIAN IS ITS 220TH STREET WAY ABOVE THE REGULAR COLUMBIA PRESBYTERIAN SO WENT FROM ONE ENDS OF MANHATTAN TO THE OTHER END OF MANHATTAN WAS IN TERRIFIC PAIN MY BACK WAS KILLING ME SO WHEN GET TO THE HOSPITAL WAS RAYED AND GOT CLEANED UP ALL THE STUFF WAS WASHED OUT OF MY MOUTH WAS GIVEN AN MRI FOR MY NECK AND RAYS FOR MY BACK THEY TOLD ME NOTHING WAS BROKEN IN MY BACK IT CERTAINLY FELT LIKE IT WAS AND WITH THAT THIS IS ALL TAKING LONG PERIOD OF TIME WITH THAT WERE INTO BY THE TIME IM TREATED THEY WERE INTO MAYBE FOUR OR FIVE OCLOCK GUESS IN THE AFTERNOON MY BROTHER CAPTAIN JAMES HENRY 149 TRUCK HE FOUND OUT WHERE WAS AND HE CAME UP TO GET ME HE CAME UP TO THE HOSPITAL

13 13 SO THEY WANTED ME TO STAY IN THE HOSPITAL THAT NIGHT SAID NO CANT STAY GOTTA GET OUT WITH THAT SIGNED MYSELF OUT AND MY BROTHER DROVE ME HOME STILL IN MY HOSPITAL GOWN AND MY BOOTS AND THATS BASICALLY WHAT HAPPENED GOT HOME AND WAITED FOR JOEY AND JOEY WAS NEVER FOUND THATS IT ANYTHING ELSE THATS IT MR LAKIOTES THAT TAKES CARE OF IT THEN THANK YOU THAT CONCLUDES THE INTERVIEW ITS APPROXIMATELY 1230 HOURS