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Welles Crowther, who
helped save the lives of
at least 18 people
during World Trade
Center attacks, was
posthumously named an
Honorary Firefighter by
Fire Commissioner
Nicholas Scoppetta and
Chief of Department
Salvatore Cassano on
December 15 during an
event at FDNY
Headquarters. “This is
the least we could do,”
said Commissioner
Scoppetta. “He had
everything to live for
and his parents can take
comfort in the fact - if
it’s possible to take
comfort under these
circumstances - that he
died while helping
others.”
The 24-year-old
volunteer firefighter
was working on the 104th
floor of the South Tower
as an equities trader in
September 2001.
After the airplane
hit, he raced up and
down the steps helping
the injured evacuate.
He was known to many
of the strangers he
saved as “the man in the
red bandanna” because of
the scarf he wore across
his nose and mouth to
protect against the
intense smoke.
“We are honoring a
true hero,” Chief
Cassano said. “He had
the genes of a New York
City firefighter.”
His parents,
Jefferson and Allison,
described their son was
a “man of action.”
In the summer of
2001, Jefferson Crowther
said his son discussed
his wish to become a New
York City firefighter.
Yet, he said he
questioned Welles’
decision, reminding him
that it would be huge
pay cut.
Following his death,
they said they found a
partially filled out
FDNY firefighter
application in his
apartment.
“To Welles
firefighting was a
career, that was a
life,” Jefferson
Crowther said. “I think
he didn’t apply because
he didn’t want to
disappoint me. But now
he is Welles Crowther,
FDNY member, and that is
definitely not a
disappointment to me.”
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