WEBVTT - How One Firefighter Remembers 9/11

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Messer and

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Quick Takes Tim Stinovic on Bloomberg Radio. Well, it's

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<v Speaker 1>difficult to believe, but it's been almost twenty one year

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<v Speaker 1>since the nine eleven attacks. The New York Stock Exchange

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<v Speaker 1>earlier taking a moment of silence this morning to commemorate

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<v Speaker 1>the anniversary, and we're thinking a lot about it as

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<v Speaker 1>we approached the twenty first anniversary on Sunday. Very pleased

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<v Speaker 1>this afternoon to be joined by Joe Peiffer. It's a

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<v Speaker 1>retired f d N Y Bertillion chief. He's also author

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<v Speaker 1>of the book Ordinary Heroes, a memoir of nine eleven.

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<v Speaker 1>Joe joins us this afternoon on the phone from the

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<v Speaker 1>u N. Joe, good to have you with us this afternoon.

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<v Speaker 1>How are you good? It's good to be with you.

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<v Speaker 1>So you were the first f d N Y chief

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<v Speaker 1>to respond to the nine eleven attacks, and your new

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<v Speaker 1>book is a memoir and also a tribute to those

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<v Speaker 1>who died and uh and also those who who didn't

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<v Speaker 1>and survived the attacks. Um, what made you want to

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<v Speaker 1>write this book now? I wanted to have some time

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<v Speaker 1>of reflection. Twenty years and tell people the story of

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<v Speaker 1>what it was like that day for me, for my firefighters,

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<v Speaker 1>and for for the people that were in the greatest

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<v Speaker 1>moment in need. And I took the title ordinary heroes

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<v Speaker 1>for for a particular reason, because we think of firefighters

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<v Speaker 1>as as superheroes, but we don't consider ourselves that at all. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>What I saw that day was my firefighters going up

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<v Speaker 1>to evacuate the building and to rescue those that were trapped. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>and they went up doing some ordinary things by telling

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<v Speaker 1>people who are coming down the same stairs, don't stop,

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<v Speaker 1>keep going. You can make it out of here. And

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<v Speaker 1>we know from people who survived that those simple words

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<v Speaker 1>made a difference, you know, Joe, I Uh, it's just

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<v Speaker 1>such catastrophic, heartbreaking losses for the fire department that day.

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<v Speaker 1>I correct me if I'm wrong. I think it was

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<v Speaker 1>more than forty firemen lost lost their lives that day.

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<v Speaker 1>I can't imagine what it would be like to sit

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<v Speaker 1>down and write this book. You know, you lost friends, colleagues,

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<v Speaker 1>people you mentored. I'm sure. Um, was it a cathartic experience?

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<v Speaker 1>Did it? Did it help you and sort of wrap

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<v Speaker 1>your head around what happened in your mental state or

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<v Speaker 1>or was it really painful to do well, it took

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<v Speaker 1>a long time, and there was some moments of pain, uh,

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<v Speaker 1>but it but it was also looking back and finding

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<v Speaker 1>a sense of hope. UM. So in the in the

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<v Speaker 1>darkness of the of the dust cloud which we all

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<v Speaker 1>remember covered Lower Manhattan when the buildings collapsed. Um people

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<v Speaker 1>also saw on TV the firefighters helmet and on helmets

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<v Speaker 1>is a little flash flight, so a little beacon of

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<v Speaker 1>light in the darkness. And I think writing the book

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<v Speaker 1>um allowed me to look at those moments of of

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<v Speaker 1>hope in in the darkest times, uh, for for us.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, one thing that I've been thinking about, Joe

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<v Speaker 1>over the last few years, when we do get to

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<v Speaker 1>this anniversary, as I've been reflecting, is that each year

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<v Speaker 1>more and more people exists who didn't experience it, whether

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<v Speaker 1>or not they were in California in high school like

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<v Speaker 1>like was my own situation, or they were in New

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<v Speaker 1>Jersey and perhaps had friends parents perish like some of

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<v Speaker 1>my friends. And I'm wondering how you think about that.

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<v Speaker 1>The idea that you know, I met an intern here

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<v Speaker 1>at Bloomberg this summer who he was, you know, in

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<v Speaker 1>his early twenties, and was born after you knowleven m h.

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<v Speaker 1>And it's just I mean, how do you think about

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<v Speaker 1>something like that, because there was a shared experience for

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<v Speaker 1>so many people, but that shared experience is kind of

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<v Speaker 1>getting smaller. The experience is getting smaller. But what I

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<v Speaker 1>noticed with writing the book, and I was really surprised,

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<v Speaker 1>was the amount of emails I got from young people,

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<v Speaker 1>the twenty year age group. UM, and they said, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I wasn't born or I was too too young at

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<v Speaker 1>the time, but the documentaries UM and UM that I

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<v Speaker 1>read your book and I just wanted to tell you that, UM,

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<v Speaker 1>what was done that day, UM helped me go into

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<v Speaker 1>public service. It inspired me by looking at the documentaries

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<v Speaker 1>like nine eleven with Jules on Day UM that filmed

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<v Speaker 1>me and uh um and then read the book. UM,

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<v Speaker 1>we'll put it all in perspective for for them, so

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<v Speaker 1>so there they weren't old enough for born, but the

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<v Speaker 1>living experience in real time now through books and through documentaries,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's just as personal for them as it was

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<v Speaker 1>for us one years ago. You know, Joe. Obviously, here

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<v Speaker 1>at Bloomberg we're sort of laser focused on financial markets

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<v Speaker 1>and it markets. Whenever there's sort of this unexpected event

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<v Speaker 1>that really changes everything. You know. They call it a

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<v Speaker 1>black Swan event, and I can't help thinking of of

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<v Speaker 1>nine eleven being a a black Swan event for the

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<v Speaker 1>whole business and process of fighting fires. You know, something

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<v Speaker 1>no one in their worst nightmare really expected, and then

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<v Speaker 1>all of a sudden you're confront it with it in

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<v Speaker 1>real time, right in front of you, and you have

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<v Speaker 1>to make split second decisions on what to do about it. UM.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm wondering what the lessons learned are for the the

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<v Speaker 1>profession of firefighting. Has it changed a lot about how

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<v Speaker 1>UM you train and how you think about responding to

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<v Speaker 1>stuff like this? You know, is there a new paradigm

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<v Speaker 1>of firefighting that's that's come out as a result of

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<v Speaker 1>this fire? Firefighting has has changed. We look at the

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<v Speaker 1>threat environment. We're connected to the intelligence community UM and

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<v Speaker 1>see what's happening not only UM threats in the United States,

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<v Speaker 1>but also threats around around the world. We also work

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<v Speaker 1>very closely with our lower enforcement partners. No longer do

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<v Speaker 1>we see this separation between fire employees UM, and particularly

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<v Speaker 1>in New York. We train together and we we UM.

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<v Speaker 1>We have the fire have the police officers run into

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<v Speaker 1>for an active theater, for example, will run in and

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<v Speaker 1>and engage the UH the shooter. But at the same

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<v Speaker 1>time we'll bring in our medical folks of fire and

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<v Speaker 1>m S medical folks to take care of patients. So

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<v Speaker 1>we have to depend on each other. And and the

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<v Speaker 1>police also depends on our our medics to come in

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<v Speaker 1>in danger to rescue their their offices take care of

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<v Speaker 1>the medical lead UH needs. So a lot of changes,

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of changes. Joe, You've done so much in

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<v Speaker 1>the last twenty years. You retired from the f d N.

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<v Speaker 1>Why you wrote this book that you published last year,

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<v Speaker 1>Ordinary Heroes and Memoir of nine eleven. Your director for

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<v Speaker 1>Crisis Leadership at Columbia University or a senior fellow at

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<v Speaker 1>the Harvard Kennedy School in the Combating Terrorism Center at

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<v Speaker 1>West Point UM. You also this week participated in the

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<v Speaker 1>United Nations Global Congress of Victims on Terrorism with u

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<v Speaker 1>N Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez. What was that like? Um,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm actually at the u N now and and and

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<v Speaker 1>I wish with victims of terrorism throughout the world, and

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<v Speaker 1>I hear the stories of losing loved ones. UM, their

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<v Speaker 1>their their young children, their their parents, there, there, there,

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<v Speaker 1>there their friends, UM, and it becomes very real. But

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<v Speaker 1>the one thing where we realized here at at the

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<v Speaker 1>u N is that that the we don't ignore that

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<v Speaker 1>the pain of being a victim of terrorism. Instead, what

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<v Speaker 1>we do is we give it purpose to changed, to

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<v Speaker 1>change the world, to make a difference, because without a purpose,

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<v Speaker 1>there is no hope, and without hope, there is no actions.

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<v Speaker 1>So we're looking at it here at the u N.

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<v Speaker 1>We're looking to two collectively, have our voices heard two

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<v Speaker 1>UM combat terrorism and also to support the victims of

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<v Speaker 1>terrorism and throughout the world. Yeah. So one of the

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<v Speaker 1>most heartbreaking things about nine eleven was that so many

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<v Speaker 1>firefighters spent so much time digging in the pit trying

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<v Speaker 1>to find at first survivors than remains, and so many

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<v Speaker 1>of them suffered some health problems later on. Has enough

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<v Speaker 1>been done for for those victims of nine eleven? Do

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<v Speaker 1>you think is there more that needs to be done? I?

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<v Speaker 1>I think there's there's always more that needs to be done.

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<v Speaker 1>And the reality is is is uh, it is difficult

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<v Speaker 1>to comprehend. So in New York City Fire Department, we

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<v Speaker 1>lost three hundred and forty three of our members on

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<v Speaker 1>nine eleven. But post nine eleven, we've lost over two

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and eighty of our our quirefighters and and E

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<v Speaker 1>M S personnel that responded that day. And I think

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<v Speaker 1>as we look at human rights throughout the world, UM,

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<v Speaker 1>we have to think about the victims and their families

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<v Speaker 1>and how do we support them. UM. One is is

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<v Speaker 1>medical assistance, the other is UH psychles social assistance. And

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<v Speaker 1>not just of the people that were there that day,

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<v Speaker 1>but their families and their children who was the children

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<v Speaker 1>of of of victims are are also affected. UM. So

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<v Speaker 1>we have we have an obligation when a terist event

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<v Speaker 1>occurs too to take care of the victims and their families.

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<v Speaker 1>Joe Phifer is a retired f d N Y Bertillion Chief.

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<v Speaker 1>He was the first f d N Y chief to

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<v Speaker 1>respond to the nine eleven attacks. His book Ordinary Heroes,

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<v Speaker 1>a Memoir of nine eleven. It was published last year

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<v Speaker 1>the twentieth anniversary of nine eleven. Joe Phifer is also

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<v Speaker 1>the Director of Crisis Leadership at Columbia University and a

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<v Speaker 1>senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Combating

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<v Speaker 1>Terrorism Center at West Point. Joe joined us this afternoon

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<v Speaker 1>from the U N Joe, thanks so much. Really appreciate

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<v Speaker 1>you taking the time