On 11 September 2026, Joseph Pfeifer, the first FDNY chief to enter the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001, shared his recollection of seeing his brother for the last time as he established a command post during the terror attacks. Pfeifer was part of the initial emergency response.
No BS check run yet — press ⚖ to extract this story's claims and verify them against independent sources.
Joseph Pfeifer was the first FDNY chief to enter the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, where he set up a command post after terror struck. Pfeifer remembers seeing his fire lieutenant brother, Kevin Pfiefer, for the last time before he joined 343 other firefighters who lost their lives during their rescue missions.
Joseph Pfeifer was the first New York City fire chief to respond to the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11, together with a team that included his own brother. Tony Dokoupil shares his story.