Bill Spade’s 9/11 Survival Account

On September 11, Bill Spade, a retired FDNY responder from Staten Island’s Rescue Company 5, received a call from an off-duty firefighter reporting a plane crash at the World Trade Center. He initially assumed it was a practical joke, a common practice among firefighters. At 8:46 a.m., the first aircraft struck the North Tower, killing everyone on board and trapping occupants above the 91st floor. Roughly fifteen minutes later a second plane hit the South Tower, confirming the attacks were intentional. More than an hour after the impacts, both towers collapsed, resulting in nearly 3,000 deaths and many injuries.

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He continued evacuating occupants until a loud crash signaled the North Tower’s failure. In the ensuing chaos he heard a “loud noise” and, believing survival unlikely, said goodbye to his wife and his two-month-old son, John. The collapse propelled him about 40 feet into a wall; he escaped through a nearby window and sheltered under a desk. He emerged as the sole survivor from Rescue Company 5.

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Buried under pulverized debris, Spade suffered immediate breathing difficulties. Two years after the attacks he experienced collapsed lungs and continues to have winter-time respiratory problems. Orthopedic injuries required surgeries on his knee and shoulder. The psychological toll was profound; after snapping at his infant son, he recognized the need for counseling.

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Twenty-five years later, Spade recounted his story in National Geographic’s documentary “9/11 Reunited.” He now speaks regularly to students at the 9/11 Memorial Museum, sharing his firsthand account and the lasting impacts of the tragedy on survivors and first responders.

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