Having been on the scene for the World Trade Center bombing of 1993, Bucca kept plans for the WTC in his locker and was very familiar with the layout. He frequently told members of the task force that he expected another big terrorist attack in the city and especially at the WTC.
He kept flow charts of the terrorist’s cells and linked al-Qaeda to the bombing. He also identified a mole within the NYFD working as an accountant working for the terrorists. The mole had gotten blueprints of the World Trade Center and lied to get a second ID for Metrotech in Brooklyn, where the plans for the major city buildings were kept.
On the morning of September 11, he telephoned his wife who was at her job as a nurse to tell her the awful news. “A plane just went into the Trade Center, and we’re going into the building now,” he said.
He and Devery arrived just as the South Tower was hit. Using Bucca’s knowledge of the layout, they were sprinting up the stairs. But the athletic Bucca began to leave Devery in his wake. On the 51st floor, Devery came across Lin Young a worker for the city who was badly burned and bloodied and was making her way down from the 78th floor. Devery led the badly injured woman down the stairs through the debris and thick smoke to safety. Through radio recordings, the department tracked Bucca’s movements
He and a Battalion Commander, Otto Palmer made it all the way to the 78th floor, Palmer taking a freight elevator part of the way up. Bucca was the only firefighter to climb all 78 floors to the Sky Lobby. He and Palmer made it higher than any other firefighter did on that fateful day.
The two men were in contact via a radio at 9:52, that they were on the floor and there were pockets of fires that could be extinguished. They also reported that many of the people were beyond saving. “78th floor, numerous 10-45s, Code One,” Palmer said.
Bucca took off his jacket and wrapped it around two women who were injured. Then at 9:58:59 the tower collapsed. The civilians were later found with Bucca’s coat still wrapped around them.
His body wasn’t found until October 23, he was identified by his badge. His son walked beside the fire truck that bore his father’s body for his funeral. He later joined the Army and became a member of Special Forces, like his father. The Army named a camp in the Middle East after his dad, Camp Bucca where several high-value detainees were kept. Ron Bucca Jr. visited the camp before it was closed in Iraq. By then it was not his first deployment. The camp once held Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who would become the leader of the Islamic State. He was needlessly and foolishly released telling his captors that he would see them in New York.
Bucca would become the only Fire Marshall in the history of the New York City Fire Department to die in the line of duty. His story is one of resilience, dedication, and bravery. RIP, Never Forget.
Photos Courtesy of Wikipedia, Bucca Family
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