102 minutes page 4

 102 minutes page 4 by ric gustafson

Chief Joseph Pfeifer walked through the lobby of the North Tower. He noticed cracked marble and shattered windows. Exploding jet fuel caused an explosion in the lobby. Pfeifer was the first fire commander to arrive. He watched outside as the plane flew into the upper floors of the Tower. Right away, Pfeifer called in a first and second alarm. Nineteen fire trucks began to arrive. Overall, more than 1000 firefighters reported for duty. Included in that group were Pfeifer's two brothers. It was decided to not try to extinguish the fire but help people to evacuate. The fire would burn itself out.

The next task was getting the firefighters upstairs. But how?. All of the elevators were out of service. Some of the elevators were stuck between floors with people trapped inside.

Pfeifer and others knew that they would have to walk. Firefighters clothing weighed 29 pounds. A mask and oxygen tank added another 27 pounds. Firefighters also carried fifty feet of hose called rollups. That weighed 30 pounds. One firefighter also carried a 150 foot rope weighing 22 pounds. They carried all this into the stairways crowded with fleeing people. It was a chaotic scene.

research help: ' 102 minutes' by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric