Lt. Bob “Rocky” LaRocco had the day off but like many firefighters he rushed downtown to help. He stopped at his Great Jones Street Firehouse in the Bowery to pick up his gear. At the scene, he found a fellow fireman to link forces with and together they carried a heavy victim down the stairs of Tower 2. After the collapse Rocky remembers crawling through the debris surrounding him and finding a door which he propped opened with a wedge he had tucked in his helmet. He cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled out into the blackness, “People, I am a fireman. I have a door open here. You need to make your way here towards my voice. This may be your only way out! You can do it!” He repeated himself several times. He got not response but four days later, Rocky’s sister heard a radio interview with a man recounting his miraculous survival in the collapsed Tower 2. The man never actually saw the fireman but he heard a voice in the blackness that directed him to safety and he repeated Rocky’s words verbatim. The man’s miracle voice in the darkness of the collapse he attributes to that of an angel. The firemen covered in the white dust looked like astronauts and also angels.
Sept. 11, the full spectrum of FireFighters from Chiefs to Probies died. Leadership in the F.D.N.Y. is synonymous with the front line so there was a gaping hole of Chiefs, Captains and Lieutenants that died heroically that tragic day.
Three or four nights after Sept. 11, a group of homeless men from the Bowery Mission walked around the corner to The Great Jones Firehouse to say hello. They were tentative and unsure about stopping in to see if their friend Rocky had survived. “Lt. LaRocco, you have visitors.”, a firefighter’s voice on HouseWatch duty boomed over the loud speaker. Rocky walked down the long stairway and smiled at the group of relieved and happy faces. The men from the Bowery Mission each hugged and kissed Rocky hard, genuinely moved to see he was alive! They had thought Rocky, an inspirational visitor to their shelter, had taken the “Express to Heaven”. Rocky spoke with the men and was genuinely touched by their sincerity but had to excuse himself and return to work mode. He went back up the stairs to the beautiful office with the high ceilings in the landmark firehouse. Great Jones is part of Manhattan’s Fire Dept. History originally housing Rescue 1 in the early 1900’s. There are plaques on the front of the building dedicated to the memories of heroes that had died in the line of duty dating back.
The Great Jones Street Firehouse lost 10 men Sept 11. The fire dept. was doing their best to stay strong and answer the calls of families of the firemen that died heroically.... The surviving leaders had to face unimaginable losses of fellow firemen, some like Rocky, who have over twenty years experience in the F.D.N.Y. and therefore lost many long term colleagues. Rocky lost many of his “brothers” from his younger days as a firefighter in Brooklyn’s Rescue 2 . Addressing the requirements needed to keep going on an individual level, family, and departmental were paramount. One of Great Jones firetruck’s, 9 Truck, had been crushed and burned at the WTC. Ladder 9 needed a new truck, radios, and tools because most everything had been destroyed.
Rocky was heavily engaged in the office. It was evening, summer like conditions, the beautiful french doors of the office were open onto the balcony. Although Rocky had resumed working—a cell phone in each hand—he was compelled to stop and it was not the warning bells of a fire. Lt. Rocky heard an overwhelmingly beautiful and compelling sound...a deeply melodious hymn rising up from below. The group of African American men from the Bowery Mission stood outside Great Jones Street Firehouse and sang hymns. Rocky politely placed the telephone calls on hold and and walked out on to the old balcony that defines the Firehouse. He mouthed the words “Thank You”. The Christian Hymns washed over the house. “Amazing Grace” was one of several prayers they sang. The homeless men wanted to give gifts and their beautiful voices and heart felt generosity was truly felt at Great Jones...Richly felt. Rocky said, “Their voices to me were a gift, at that time...I was so busy...I had experienced both collapses. I was in my war mode...them coming by with their gentleness...the gift they gave me.”
They are homeless. They don’t have money or anything...but it was a bigger gift, because what they gave, not only lifted my spirit but touched my heart and soul.”
Great Jones Firehouse and The Bowery Mission have been each others neighbors for almost a century; and great neighbors they are. Edward H. Morgan, Jr.’s the Bowery Mission Directors philosophy is: “The Bowery Mission meets the short-term, physical needs of the homeless and then focuses on their core spiritual needs.” The men from the Bowery Mission more than met the spiritual needs of one of Great Jones’ senior firemen. Giving and receiving are part of the necessary heartbeat of life post-Sept. 11. There was an incredible need world wide for people to give to New York City, The Fire Dept. and all those involved with the downtown recovery work and here was a story of some of the poorest residents giving richly.
Lt. Bob “Rocky” LaRocco survived Tower 2 fall but as Tower 1 collapsed he dived behind a fire truck and he thought, “Death, I just cheated you and now you’re gonna come for the payoff.” He actually laughed at the perceived irony. Rocky’s poignant quote is a stand out in the Time/Life best seller One Nation. Resilience is non-negotiable. It is the heart and soul of the matter.
Suzannah B. Troy
artist
www.suzannahbtroy.com (sept 11 art, writing, memorial and more)
www.suzannahbtroyartist.com