Sep 9, 2026 · 18 min · 11 segments
During his interview on WABC's Rev and The Rabbi, Salvatore J. Cassano, former Commissioner of the New York City Fire Department, shares his firsthand experience responding to the attacks on the World…
Salvatore J. CassanoGuest
Jacques DeGraffHost
Joseph PotasnikHost
You know, the commanders at the scene knew that these fires were fires like we had never seen before.
You know, each plane, up to 20,000 gallons of Jeff fuel and all of the combustibles in those buildings, how high those planes had hit.
And even the standpipes that provide water to us on those upper floors were compromised.
The repeated systems that allowed us to use our radios were compromised.
And I can tell you, as I've been saying for the last couple of weeks, just to see the way our chief of department, Pete Gansey, operated, took command, gave orders without a flinching, without a doubt.
He knew what he wanted us to accomplish, get as many people out of those buildings and get them out as quickly as possible.
And I was talking to the chief of department yesterday at our ceremony honoring the 36 members that were killed because of their illnesses.
I think we have to start focusing on the tens of thousands of people that we saved that day and how many people have gone on with their lives because of the work of the first responders at that scene and how many people now have had children, have had weddings, have had people graduate high school and college and go on with their lives because of the work that we did.
I mean, I gave orders to so many people that never came home, but they had a purpose.
You know, the commanders at the scene knew that these fires were fires like we had never seen before.
You know, each plane, up to 20,000 gallons of Jeff fuel and all of the combustibles in those buildings, how high those planes had hit.
And even the standpipes that provide water to us on those upper floors were compromised.
The repeated systems that allowed us to use our radios were compromised.
And I can tell you, as I've been saying for the last couple of weeks, just to see the way our chief of department, Pete Gansey, operated, took command, gave orders without a flinching, without a doubt.
He knew what he wanted us to accomplish, get as many people out of those buildings and get them out as quickly as possible.
And I was talking to the chief of department yesterday at our ceremony honoring the 36 members that were killed because of their illnesses.
I think we have to start focusing on the tens of thousands of people that we saved that day and how many people have gone on with their lives because of the work of the first responders at that scene and how many people now have had children, have had weddings, have had people graduate high school and college and go on with their lives because of the work that we did.
I mean, I gave orders to so many people that never came home, but they had a purpose.
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