WORLD TRADE CENTER TASK FORCE INTERVIEW CAPTAIN JOHN LUONGO

Transcription

1 FILE NO 91104CC WORLD TRADE CENTER TASK FORCE INTERVIEW CAPTAIN JOHN INTERVIEW DATE JANUARY TRANSCRIBED BY MAUREEN MCCORMICK

2 BATTALIUN CHIEF CUNGIUSTA THE TIME 1340 HOURS AND THIS IS BATTALION CHIEF FRANK CONGIUSTA OF THE SAFETY BATTALION OF THE NEW YORK CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT IM CONDUCTING WITH INTERVIEW WITH THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUAL PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME JOHN BATTALION CHIEF CONGIUSTA JOHN IS THE CAPTAIN OF ENGINE 84 OF THE NEW YORK CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT WE ARE AT THE QUARTERS OF ENGINE 84 THIS INTERVIEW IS REGARDING THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER JOHN IF YOU WOULD PLEASE STATE IN YOUR OWN WORDS WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY WE WERE RELOCATED FROM HERE TO 16 ENGINE YES 16 ENGINE ON 29TH STREET THINK IT WAS ON THE EAST SIDE SO WE WERE JUST WHEN WE LEFT HERE WE KNEW THAT BOTH TOWERS HAD BEEN HIT WE KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON DOWNTOWN AS WE BACKED INTO 16S QUARTERS THE FIRST THE SOUTH TOWER WAS COLLAPSING THE GUYS WERE RECALLED AND ANYBODY WHO HAD STAYED WHOEVER WAS IN THEIR FIREHOUSE WAS WATCHING IT ON TELEVISION AS SOON

3 THE OUTTII TOWER COLLAJMED WE WERE TO THE BOX WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO REPORT IN ON WEST STREET AND REPORT IN TO THE COMMAND CENTER ON WEST AND VESEY WE MADE IT TO THE WEST SIDE WE HEADED DOWN WEST STREET WE GOT IM GOING TO SAY DOWN AROUND STUYVESANT HIGH SCHOOL IM NOT EXACTLY SURE WHERE WE STOPPED OUR RIG WHAT STREET THAT WAS BUT WE JUST COULDNT DRIVE ANY FURTHER THE STREET WAS JUST CLOGGED WITH RIGS MAYBE WARREN WARREN MURRAY AROUND THERE WHEN WE GOT OFF THE RIGS DONT KNOW THE BATTALION CHIEFS NAME BUT THERE WERE CHIEFS INSTRUCTING US NOT TO GO TO VESEY AT THAT POINT BUT TO WAIT THINK THEY WERE CREATING STAGING AREA DOWN AROUND MURRAY OR BARCLAY BUT THAT KEPT CHANGING THEY KEPT PUSHING US BACK AND FORTH WE HAD OUR ROLL UPS WE HAD EXTRA BOTTLES WE HAD SEARCH ROPES WE HAD ALL OUR EQUIPMENT WE WERE STANDING ON WEST STREET AGAIN IM NOT HUNDRED PERCENT SURE WHERE EXACTLY WE WERE HOW CLOSE TO VESEY WE WERE BUT WE WERE PRETTY CLOSE BECAUSE THEN WHILE WE WERE WAITING FOR FURTHER ORDERS THE NORTH TOWER COLLAPSED AND AS IT STARTED TO COLLAPSE JUST TOLD MY GUYS TO HIGHTAIL IT OUT OF THERE

4 JU WATCHED THE COLLAJME DIDNT KNOW IF THE BUILDING WAS GOING TO GO ONE WAY OR THE OTHER DIDNT KNOW WHETHER THERE WAS GOING TO BE DEBRIS FIELD HOW FAR THE DEBRIS WOULD GO WAS JUST WATCHING THE COLLAPSE AND THEN IN MATTER OF SECONDS WE WERE JUST ENVELOPED IN DARKNESS AT WHICH POINT WE JUST HEARD LOT OF SCREAMING NOT ON THE RADIO SO MUCH BUT PEOPLE YELLING SOME GUYS DROPPED THEIR MASKS TO BE ABLE TO RUN QUICKER THEY WERE HAVING TROUBLE BREATHING IT WAS JUST PITCH BLACK JUST WALKED TO THE SIDE TO ONE OF THE DIVIDERS AND JUST FOLLOWED THE DIVIDER NORTH UNTIL WE HIT DAYLIGHT AT THAT POINT WE WERE UP AROUND THINK MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE THINK WE WALKED THAT FAR TO GET OUT OF THE DUST GOT THE REST OF MY GUYS TOGETHER WE WERE ALL OKAY MIKE QATES WHO WAS DRIVING THAT DAY ASKED ME IF HE COULD TRY AND DRIVE OVER TO WHAT IS IT EAST END AVENUE BY THE WATER YES BY THE HUDSON RIVER YES WHICH HE DID HE BROUGHT OUR RIG AROUND DOWN RIVER TERRACE NORTH END AVENUE

5 WHICHEVER ARID THEN BROUTGHIT IT AROUTNID ARID WE ACTUALLY WOUND UP ON VESEY WITH THE RIG WE GOT INTO THE RELAY FROM THE FIRE BOAT WE HOOKED UP TO HYDRANT INITIALLY AND THAT WAS WE WERE RUNNING AWAY FROM WATER WE HAD SOME BUT WE WERE RUNNING AWAY FROM WATER AND THEN WE GOT INVOLVED IN THE RELAY WE WERE SUPPLYING 224 ENGINE LITTLE CLOSER TO THE SITE THEY WERE PROBABLY RIGHT ON WEST AND VESEY WE WERE BY THE AMERICAN EXPRESS BUILDING AND THERE WAS COUPLE OF OTHER ENGINES BETWEEN US AND THE WATER ALL HOOKING UP INTO THIS RELAY SO EVENTUALLY WHAT WE DID WITH THE ENGINE WAS SUPPLY MANIFOLD AND THEN MANIFOLD WAS SUPPLYING HAND LINES HAND LINES THERE WAS TOWER LADDER OPERATING FOR AWHILE AND THEN ONCE WE HAD ALL OUR RIG AND EVERYTHING ALL SET UP THEN WE WERE JUST OPERATING UNDER THE COMMAND OF THAT THE WEST AND VESEY COMMAND POST DOING RECOVERY SEARCHING YOU KNOW SEARCH AND RECOVERY WORK JUST ON THE PERIPHERY THOUGH WE NEVER REALLY GOT INTO THE MAIN THE MAIN COLLAPSE PILE AND RECALLED ENGINE 39S CHAUFFEUR TRYING TO GET IN TOUCH WITH HIS OFFICER AND HE WAS

6 DOING IT FOR AWHILE IT WA CJUTITE AWHILE THAT LIE WA TRYING TO GET IN TOUCH WITH HIM DONT KNOW IF ANYBODY KNEW WHERE THEY WERE AT THE TIME DONT RECALL ANY MAYDAYS OR ANY ACTUAL TRANSMISSIONS FROM PEOPLE WHO WERE TRAPPED THAT WOULD HAVE CERTAINLY TRIGGERED IT WAS JUST IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WERE TOO MANY RADIO TRANSMISSIONS AND LOT OF DISJOINTED STUFF AND LOT OF UNANSWERED TRANSMISSIONS THERE WAS KNOW THERE WERE RESCUE OPERATIONS GOING ON AND LOT OF THE RESCUE OPERATION WERE TAKING OVER THE RADIOS BUT DONT REMEMBER FREDDY LAFEMINA REMEMBER HEARING HIM THINK HE THEY MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN SOME GUYS OUT OF EITHER THE HOTEL FORGOT KNOW THERE WAS FIRE INVOLVED AND THEY WERENT ABLE TO GET THE FIRE OUT AND THERE WERE COUPLE OF GUYS TRAPPED BUT THINK THEY FINALLY GOT THEM OUT THEN REMEMBER LOT OF TRANSMISSIONS WHERE PEOPLE SAW TURNOUT GEAR BUT THE WHETHER IT WAS RESCUE OR RECOVERY AND MOST OF MOST WELL MOST OF THE RESPONSES WERE THAT IT WAS RECOVERY AND THEY WERE TOLD TO FOREGO THE RECOVERY UNTIL THE SITE HAD

7 BEEN ECUTRED ARID THEN LIKE SAID WE WE LEFT THERE ABOUT MIDNIGHT SO FOR THE REST OF THE DAY WE INTERMITTENTLY WALKED LIKE SAID SEARCHED AROUND WE DIDNT FIND TOO MANY BODY PARTS WHERE WE WERE MOST OF IT WAS DOWN BELOW WHERE WE WERE AND THE ENGINE STAYED THERE FOR ABOUT TWO OR THREE DAYS JUST PUMPING JUST PUMPING YEAH PEOPLE WE WOULD JUST GET COMPANY TO RELIEVE US AND WE LEFT AND WE WENT DOWN FEW DAYS LATER AND COMANDEERED OUR OWN ENGINE AND BROUGHT IT BACK AND THEY HAD GIVEN US SPARE RIG TO WORK WITH UP HERE BUT WE WENT DOWN AND GOT OUR OWN RIG BACK AND WENT BACK INTO SERVICE COUPLE OF DAYS LATER WE WERE IN SERVICE WITH THE SPARE FOR WHILE BUT DONT RECALL ANY YOU KNOW ANYTHING OTHER THAN THATS GOOD ITS KIND OF FUNNY MOST PEOPLE DONT RECALL ANYTHING SPECIFIC THINK EVERYBODY WAS SO CONCENTRATED ON WHATEVER THEY WERE DOING THEY REALLY WERENT THINKING ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE THAT SEEMS TO BE THE GENERAL THING WELL KNOW WHEN YOU ARE ON THE JOB AND HEAR YOUR RADIO IS ON DEPENDING ON WHO YOU ARE AND

8 WHAT YOUR JOB IF YOU ARE BATTALION CHIEF YOURE MORE IN TUNED TO LISTEN TO AN OFFICER IF 84 SAYS SOMETHING YOU MIGHT BE MORE INCLINED TO LISTEN TO THAT THEN IF ITS 84 ALPHA RIGHT OR 34 OV HES GOING TO BE TALKING TO HIS OFFICER NOT THAT ITS INFORMATION YOU DONT WANT BUT YOU CAN ONLY DO ONE THING AT TIME OR TWO THINGS AT TIME MOSTLY SO IF DIFFERENT UNITS WERE TALKING TO EACH OTHER YOU DIDNT PAY ATTENTION TO IT BECAUSE IT WASNT INVOLVING YOU IF SOMEONE CALLED MAYDAY OR CALLED SOMETHING OR LIKE SAID THE REASON REMEMBERED 39 ENGINE WAS THAT HE WAS SO PERSISTENT AND HE WASNT GETTING ANY RESPONSE THEY ALL MADE IT OUT YEAH WHICH WAS MIRACLE THEY WENT BACK LOOKING FOR GUY THAT WAS OUT ALREADY REALLY THEY WERE OUT OF THE BUILDING BECAUSE INTERVIEWED ONE OF THE GUYS AND THEY COULDNT FIND THIS GUY WHO WAS OUT AND HE THOUGHT THAT THE OFFICER SAW HIM GET OUT AND THEY WENT BACK LOOKING FOR HIM

9 REALLY ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANTED TO SAY THEY WOULD HAVE GOTTEN THERE EARLY YEAH BATTALION CHIEF CONGIUSTA THAT CONCLUDES THE INTERVIEW ITS 150