Brothers surfing waves on a Hobie Craft –then Twin Towers disaster changes their life

[Lake X Kid]

First FDNY Chief to enter the Twin Towers building. Joseph Pfeifer orders his company, including his brother Kevin, up the stairways (elevators not working) to rescue the office personnel. Previously out on the street, Pfeifer saw the commercial passenger airplane hit one the towers.


Loud crashing sounds! Then Pfeifer realized humans were jumping from the building, and landing on the Plexiglas awning. He then gets on the intercom mic “hold on … we are coming to get you”.

[Lake X Kid]

Chief Pfeifer never saw his brother again. Months later, on Super Bowl Sunday, he gets a call from his fire-fighter associates. They found Kevin’s body.


In the ambulance Pfeifer rode with his younger brother Kevin’s body. He then had a sense of warmth from intense sadness, to memories of joy with Kevin. Sharing time together in a Cessna, and riding waves out at Avalanche. Their 18 foot Hobie sailboat riding waves, between the sandbar and the breakers.


“We can’t stay there; we’ve got to move from tragic memories to hope” Chief Joseph Pfeifer.