Retired FDNY Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer has won a Christopher Award for his book, Ordinary Heroes: A Memoir of 9/11.
Joseph Pfeifer is now a senior fellow at both the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point and the Harvard Kennedy School; and director for crisis leadership at Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness. On September 11, 2001, he became the first chief on the scene of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, one of only four FDNY battalion chiefs to survive the attacks, reports Bill Parry for QNS.com.
From the command post in the North Tower, Chief Pfeifer ordered many teams of firefighters to higher floors of the tower. One of the teams he ordered to the 70th floor was led by his younger brother, FDNY Lt. Kevin Pfeifer, who became one of the 343 firefighters killed in the attacks.
Ordinary Heroes is a tribute to Kevin and to all those who showed extraordinary bravery that day.
Christopher Awards are given to writers and filmmakers who produce works that attest to the highest values of humanity.
