FILE
NO
9110046
WORLD TRADE CENTER TASK FORCE INTERVIEW EMT BRIAN
INTERVIEW
CIRILLO
OCTOBER 11 2001
DATE
CIIIRISTOPTIER
ECCLESTON
ECCIESTON OF THE
TODAY
IS
OCTOBER 11 2001
CITY FIRE
THE TIME
IS
922
AM
THIS
IS
CHRISTOPHER
NEW YORK
DEPARTMENT
AM
CONDUCTING
AN INTERVIEW
WITH THE FOLLOWING
INDIVIDUALPLEASE
STATE YOUR
NAME RANK
TITLE
AND ASSIGNED
COMMAND AREA OF THE
FIRE
DEPARTMENT OF THE CITY
OF
NEW YORK
REGARDING THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER
11 2001
CIRILLO
BRIAN
CIRILLO
BRIAN
BRIAN
EMT BATTALION
5523
ON SEPTEMBER 11
DID YOU RESPOND TO THE WORLD TRADE DISASTER
2001
YESJ DID EN EN SMOKE WAS COMING
WENT TOWARDS
IT
ROUTE TO THE ALARM WHAT DID YOU
SEE
BUILDING
ROUTE TO THE ALARM
SAW THE
FIRST
HAD BEEN
HIT
BY
PLANE AND
OUT OF THE TOP OF THE BUILDING
SO
TURNED
MY VEHICLE
AROUND AND
SO YOU WERE ON YOUR WAY
HOME
YES
CORRECT
CORRECT
SO YOU WERE ON FOOT
IN
YOUR PERSONAL VEHICLE
AND YOU PARKED YOUR
VEHICLE
AND BEGAN
TO RESPOND
CORRECT
OKAY WHERE DID
PARKED
YOU PARK YOUR CAR
OUTSIDE THE BATTERY TUNNEL EXIT
MY
CAR UNDERNEATH RIGHT
ON THE
MANHATTAN SIDE
ON YOU NO
SETTING
ARRIVAL
AT THE
WORLD TRADE CENTER DID ANY
CIVILIANS
REPORT ANYTHING
TO
CIVILIANS
FIREFIGHTER
ACTUALLY
APPROACHED ME AND
TOLD
ME THEY
THEY TOLD
WERE
UP
TRIAGE
ACROSS THE STREET WHILE
WAS
IN
FRONT OF THE BUILDING
AND
ME
THEY WERE SITTING
UP
TRIAGE
ACROSS THE STREET
SO
WENT OVER THERE
SO
WHOMDID
YOU
REPORT
TO
WHEN YOU ARRIVED
THERE WAS NO REAL
WHEN
THERE WAS
WENT ACROSS THE
STREET
COMMANDEROVER
THERE
FEMALE LIEUTENANT
OVER THERE
NEVER EVEN GOT THE
NAME
SHE HAD
COMMAND BOARD
HELP
WE WOULD JUST
WAIT FOR ANYONE TO
COME OUT ANYONE WHO NEEDED ANY
WERE YOU
NOT
GIVEN
SPECIFIC
ASSIGNMENT
SPECIFIC
ASSIGNMENT
WE WERE TO
HOLD
STILL
AND WAIT
FOR THE PEOPLE
TO
COME OUT WERE YOU
ASKED TO ASSIST
ANY
SPECIFIC
UNITS
NO
WHAT WAS
AREA
THE EXACT LOCATION
TO THE BEST
OF YOUR MEMORY OF
THIS
STAGING
IN FRONT OF THE AMERICAN
EXPRESS
BUILDING
WESTSIDE
HIGHWAY MORE
TOWARDS THE DIVIDER
OF THE WESTSIDE
HIGHWAY
IN
FRONT OF THAT
BUILDING
DID YOU EVER ENTER ANY OF THE BUILDINGS
PRIOR
TO THEIR
COLLAPSE
TOLD
NO
WERE
SETTING
GOT IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING
AND
FIREFIGHTER
HAD
ME
THAT THEY
UP
TRIAGE
ACROSS THE STREET
SO
WENT OVER THERE
OKAY
AREA WHAT HAPPENED
CAN YOU
AFTER
TELL
ME WHAT
HAPPENED NEXT
YOU WERE AT
THIS
STAGING
THAT
WHAT HAPPENED
TRYING
NEXT
WASWE WERE
WAITING
FOR PEOPLE TO
COME OUT
JUST
TO DO WHATEVER WE COULD JUST WITNESSING
EVERYTHING
THAT
WAS GOING ON PEOPLE
AFTER
TRYING
TO GET OUT OF THE BUILDINGS
AND PEOPLE
ACTUALLY
JUMPING
OUT OF THE BUILDINGS
MAYBE 20 MINUTES 30
MINUTES
THAT
WE WERE THERE
FIRST
ONE OF THE BUILDINGS
CAME DOWN
WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THE SAME
SPOT RIGHT
IN
BUILDING
CAME
DOWN
FRONT OF THE
AMEX
BUILDING
AND WHOWERE YOU WITH
WAS WITH GROUP OF EMTS AND PARAMEDICS
KIND
JUST WAITING
NO
ONE
REALLY
GOT ANYONES
NAME WE JUST
OF WAITED KIND OF SHOCKED NOT
REALLY
TALKING THAT
MUCH
WHAT HAPPENED
THE
FIRST
AFTER THE FIRST
BUILDING
CAME
DOWN
RAN UP VESEY STREET TOWARDS
BUILDING
CAME
DOWN WE BASICALLY
THE WATER
HAD
TO
DUCK BEHIND
CAR TO PROTECT
MYSELF FROM ANYTHING
FALLING
ONCE THE
SMOKED CLEARED OUT
PEOPLE AND
LITTLE
BIT
WE
GOT UP AND STARTED LOOKING
FOR
PEOPLE
WE FOUND
IT
FEW
WE SET
MERRIL
UP ANOTHER TRIAGE
GUESS ON NORTH
END
FORGET
WHAT BUILDING
WASNT THE
LYNCH BUILDING
THE BUILDING
IT
WAS THE ONE ON THE OPPOSITE
SIDE
WE WERE BRINGING
THERE THERE
PEOPLE THERE
INSIDE
IT
WAS STILL RUNNING
THERE
WAS WATER
WAS
BIG OPEN SPACE THAT
WE COULD
FEEL PROTECTED IN
OKAY
WE WERE JUST
TAKE ANYONE
GOING BACK AND FORTH TO THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING
TRYING TO
WHONEEDED
ANY KIND
OF HELP BRING THEM OVER THERE
OKAY AND
YOU CONTINUED
DOING
THIS
ACTUALLY
WE CONTINUED
WALKING BACK
GOT TO PRETTY
DOING
THAT UNTIL
WHAT HAPPENED
WAS
STARTED
MUCH
STARTED
THE SAME SPOT
WAS BEFORE WHEN WE HEARD THE OTHER HAD TO DO THE SAME THING WE
CRASH AND THE OTHER BUILDING
COMING
DOWN AND WE
DIVING
INTO
DID THE
FIRST
TIME
JUST
TAKE OFF
WOUNDUP
ALL
THE FRONT OF THE
AMEX
WAS THE
BUILDING
WHICH WASNT
GREAT
COVER CAUSE
THE
WINDOWS HAD BLOWN OUT BUT
IT
FIRST
PLACE
WE FOUND OKAY WHOWERE YOU WITH
WITH
BELIEVE AROUND THIS TIME THE ONLY
AT
THIS
POINT DO YOU
KNOW WHO YOU WERE
MAN
REMEMBER BEING THERE THE ONLY
NAME
GOT WAS CHIEF
WELLS
DIDNT GET ANYONE ELSE
CIVILIANS
OKAY
YEAH
DID YOU REMOVE ANY INJURED
AFTER
OR
MEMBERS OF THE SERVICE
ABOUT 20
OR 30 MINUTES
OF DOING
WHAT
WE WERE DOING WE HAD
ONLY ONE
STILL
COMMANDEERED AN AMBULANCE AND THE KEYS HAPPENED
THAT
WAS BE
SITTING
THERE
IT
WAS PRETTY MUCH THE
INTACT
TO STILL
IN
IT
WE FOUND TWO FIREMEN
AND ANOTHER
CIVILIAN
WHO SUFFERED
THERE
GUESS SMOKE INHALATION
TO
AND COULDNT BREATHE VERY WELL
WE PUT
THEM
IN
AND TRIED
HEAD UPTOWN
TO THE HOSPITAL
AND
THIS
WAS ABOUT WHAT TIME
YOU SAID
AFTER THE SECOND
TOWER WENT
DOWN
AFTER THE SECOND TOWER WENT
DOWN
AFTER THE SECOND TOWER WENT
DOWN
IN
WE CONTINUED
LOOKING DIGGING
THROUGH WHATEVER WE COULD DIG THROUGH
WE LOOKED
THE
AMEX
BUILDING
TO SEE IF
ANYONE WAS LEFT
ALL
IN
THERE WENT OVER TO THE FRONT OF THE WORLD
TRADE BUILDING
PRETTY
MUCH
THAT
WAS AROUND US WAS FIREFIGHTERS
THERE
STILL
WAS
LOT
OF
SMOKE ACROSS THE MUCH ON
FIRE
STREET
HAPPENED
TO BE
PARKING
LOT
THE PARKING WAS ON FIRE
LOT
SEEMED
TO BE
PRETTY
EVERY CAR
IN
THERE JUST
LOOKED LIKE
IT
THERE WAS BLACK
SMOKE COVERING
LOOKING
FOR
EVERYTHING
SO
COULDNT
STAY THAT
LONG WITH
NO BREATHING
DEVISE
WHOEVER
WE COULD
FIND
WE HAPPENED
IN
TO FIND
THINK THREE
SO THEN YOU LOADED THEM
AN AMBULANCE
DID YOU HAVE
PARTNER
AT
THAT
TIME
NO
SAID
DIDNT HAVE
PARTNER
THE CHIEF
WHOHAPPENED
TO BE THERE WITH
ME
TAKE THEM
UPTOWN TO
DID THAT
THE FURTHEST
HOSPITAL
CAUSE WHAT WAS AROUND WAS BASICALLY
THAT TIME
JAMPACKED
OUT WITH
SALINE
DROPPED THEM OFF
AND
AT
ASKED THEM TO FLUSH
MY
EYES
SOLUTION
WENT BACK
OKAY
DID YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU GOT BACKAPPROXIMATELY
APPROXIMATELY
200
ABOUT TWO OCLOCK
YEAH GIVE
OR TAKE YOU
KNOW
YOU WOULD
LIKE TO
OKAY
HAPPENED
PRIOR TO 12
IS
THERE ANYTHING
ADD TO THIS
TO THE EVENTS THAT
NOON
PRIOR TOL2
NOON THAT WAS AFTER
THE NORTH
THE TOWERS COLLAPSED
NO
THE SECOND TOWER AT
CORRECT
WELL
TOWER COLLAPSED WHICH WAS
LATER SO THAT
1029
AND
THEN YOU SAID
ABOUT 20 MINUTES
WOULD BE
LITTLE
BIT
BEFORE
11
YOU TRANSPORTED TWO PATIENTS
YEAH GIVE
HORRIBLE
OR TAKE
IT
MIGHT HAVE BEEN LONGER WELL PERSONALLY
IT
WAS
JUST
FELT
HELPLESS UNFORTUNATELY
PEOPLE
WHO REALLY NEEDED
THE HELP WERE UPSTAIRS
AND WE COULDNT
GET TO
THEM
IT
WAS
BAD
SITUATION
ALL
AROUND
COULDNT DO ANYTHING
FOR
ANYONE REALLY
OKAY
CONCLUDED
AT
THANK YOU FOR DOING
THIS
INTERVIEW
WITH
ME
THIS
INTERVIEW
IS
931
HOURS THE COUNTER ON THE RECORDER
IS
AT
163