In regard to reply # 144 above....From 1994 Medal Day Book:
Lieutenant JOHN M. FOX Squad Company 1
The bomb blast at the World Trade Center on February 26, 1993, is an event that is etched in everyone's mind as one of the most horrific to hit New York in many years. The level of destruction and the number of lives affected by the bombing are staggering. Much has been written of what happened that day and many more volumes are yet to come. Those who experienced the devastation firsthand will never forget it.
Lieutenant John M. Fox was having an average day until Box 33-69 was transmitted at 1231 Hours and Squad 1 was summoned to the World Trade Center for an explosion of undetermined origin. The company was directed to report to Deputy Chief Steven De Rosa in the lobby of the Vista Hotel. He informed them that a firefighter from Rescue 1 was missing and he ordered them to search on the B-1 level.
John led the other members of Squad 1, FFs James Brogan, William Walker, Peter Runfola, Joseph O'Donnell and Edmund Stoebe, on a very important journey. As they made their way down the stairs, the smoke pushing up at them grew darker and more acrid. Several firefighters were calling for a line and the members of Squad 1 stretched hose lengths in that direction until they ran out of line.
They continued forward and met Lieutenant John McAllister of Rescue 1, who informed them that Firefighter Kevin Shea had fallen into a hole. They followed McAllister to the edge of the hole, where the immensity of the blast became more apparent. Though the smoke made visibility poor, John saw fires burning on several levels across the chasm. Through the eerie light he caught glimpses of destruction that made him wonder if his eyes were playing tricks on him. The noise level from broken steam pipes, water pipes and car alarms was intense, but John was able to pinpoint Kevin calling for help. BC Richard Rewkowski arrived on the scene and ordered a roof rope operation to get someone down to help Shea. John chose to go and the other members of Squad 1 cleared the area and prepared to lower him. Conditions were severe with fire and no visibility in the immediate area and no protective hose line in place.
The entire operation was being conducted from a concrete slab that was cantilevered out, rough-hewn at the edge and had reinforcing rods protruding from it. John was forced to crawl backward off the slab across the reinforcing rods and had to grapple for a dropping-off point. The initial free fall until the rope tightened, gave the entire slab a jolt and caused it to lean even farther into the crater.
The uncertain condition of the rescue area increased the danger of the operation. Lt. Fox had no smooth surface to balance off as he descended. The heat and smoke rising up around him made him wonder what he was getting into. At the bottom of the pit, John had to walk, crawl and stumble over the jagged pieces of concrete and metal that lay between him and Kevin. When John finally made his way through the smoky maze, Shea remarked, "Boy am I glad to see you."
John heard someone else nearby struggling through the debris, so he called out and, after approximately ten minutes was joined by Firefighter John Tighe of Rescue 5. In his present position, Shea was getting drenched by water from broken pipes. The precarious position of another concrete slab from overhead, also added to John and Tighe's decision to move Shea to a safer place. After they stabilized Shea they prepared him for the long haul up out of the crater and then to a point where he could be removed to safety. They secured him to a Stokes stretcher and guided the basket through the pile of rubble. The other members of Squad 1 and additional firefighters helped lift Shea up.
For his actions, risking his own life to save the life of a fellow firefighter, the New York City Fire Department is proud to present the James Gordon Bennett Medal to Lieutenant John M. Fox.