were resting and did not seem to be in the process of evacuating.They further
reported advising these firefighters to evacuate, but said that at times they were
not acknowledged. In the opinion of one of the ESU officers, some of these
firefighters essentially refused to take orders from cops. At least one firefighter
who was in the North Tower has supported that assessment, stating that he was
not going to take an evacuation instruction from a cop that morning. How-
ever, another firefighter reports that ESU officers ran past him without advis-
ing him to evacuate.
ended--this team spread out in chain formation, stretching from several floors
down to the mezzanine itself.They used their flashlights to provide a path of
beacons through the darkness and debris for civilians climbing down the stairs.
Eventually, when no one else appeared to be descending, the ESU team exited
the North Tower and ran one at a time to 6 WTC, dodging those who still
were jumping from the upper floors of the North Tower by acting as spotters
for each other.They remained in the area, conducting additional searches for
civilians; all but two of them died.
civilians (who had exited from the North Tower mezzanine) to evacuate the WTC
complex by descending the stairs on the north side of 5 and 6 WTC, which led
down to Vesey Street.They remained at this post until the North Tower collapsed,
yet all survived.
collapsed (though they did not know the cause). Immediately thereafter, they
were joined by three firefighters from an FDNY engine company. One of the
firefighters apparently heard an evacuation order on his radio, but responded
in a return radio communication,"We're not fucking coming out!" However,
the firefighters urged the police officers to descend because they lacked the
protective gear and equipment needed to handle the increasing smoke and
heat.The police officers reluctantly began descending, checking that the lower
floors were clear of civilians.They proceeded down stairwell B, poking their
heads into every floor and briefly looking for civilians.
collapse.They struggled to regroup in the darkness and to evacuate both them-
selves and civilians they encountered.At least one of them died in the collapse
of the North Tower. At least one NYPD officer from this area managed to evac-
uate out toward 5 WTC, where he teamed up with a Port Authority police
officer and acted as a spotter in advising the civilians who were still exiting