Inside the North Tower on 9/11 | Chief Joseph Pfeifer

Michael speaks with FDNY Chief Joseph Pfeifer, who led the first fire units into the North Tower on 9/11 and later gave the order to evacuate the towers. Chief Pfeifer later served as the FDNY Chief of Counterterrorism and Emergency preparedness, is a Senior Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School, and wrote Ordinary Heroes, which examines what 9/11 taught him about crisis leadership, resilience, and the ordinary acts of heroism. They discuss:

 

00:00 Introduction

02:36 Racing to the North Tower

09:20 Seeing His Brother in the Lobby

12:10 The Second Plane Hits

14:40 The South Tower Falls and the Evacuation Order

19:20 Surviving the North Tower Collapse

23:19 What Makes an Ordinary Hero

32:54 Three Principles for Crisis Leadership

36:57 Four Stages of Resilience

46:48 The Threats Communities Face Next