Orio Palmer

The name of Orio Palmer is seen among those of other first responders inscribed on bronze panel S-17 of the South Pool of the National September 11 Memorial in Manhattan, on December 6, 2001.

Oreo

ˈɔːrɪəʊ/

noun

UStrademark

1. a chocolate biscuit with a white cream filling.

   • informalderogatory

     a black American who is seen, especially by other black people, as wishing to be part of the white establishment.

palm²

pɑːm/

verb

gerund or present participle: palming

1. 1.

   conceal (a small object) in the hand, especially as part of a trick or theft.

   "he would spin wild tales while palming your wristwatch"
2. 2.

   (of a goalkeeper) deflect (the ball) with the palm of the hand.

   "Jason palmed the ball out of danger"

Residence: Valley Stream, New York

Other names: Orio

Education: Associate's Degree (Electrical Technology)

Alma mate: rCardinal Spellman High School; Westchester Community College

Occupation: Battalion Chief, FDNY Battalion 7; Firefighter

Employer: Fire Department of New York

Known for: Lost his life while rescuing occupants of the World Trade Center on 9/11; first to reach the impact zone in 2 World Trade Center.

Notable work(s): Numerous papers and articles regarding Firefighting and Firefighter Safety; article(s) regarding Radio communications in High-rise building fires and use of repeaters to ensure communication while fighting High-rise building fires.

Television: 9/11 (CBS); In Memoriam: New York City, 9/11/01 (HBO)

Title: Battalion Chief

Spouse(s): Debbie Palmer

Children: 3

Call-sign: Battalion 7

Awards: Numerous Medals of Valor, Unit Citations

In 2004, The 9/11 Commission Report relied on analysis of the North Tower lobby conversations between Palmer, Peter Hayden and Donald Burns in the film shot by Jules and Gedeon Naudet to better understand what was and was not working in the fire department's communications in those critical minutes. The report stated that, 

"Of particular concern to the chiefs—in light of FDNY difficulties in responding to the 1993 bombing—was communications capability. One of the chiefs recommended testing the repeater channel to see if it would work." 

Peter Hayden, who survived, later testified, "People watching on TV certainly had more knowledge of what was happening a hundred floors above us than we did in the lobby....

 [W]ithout critical information coming in... it's very difficult to make informed, critical decisions".

"FDNY Battalion Chief Joseph Pfiefer" 

(who arrived with Brothers Naudet, a bunch of people dressed as New York Firemen, set up the Command Post in the lobby and are directing the rescue effort by teams arriving - telling them which stairs to climb and when to leave) 

orders an evacuation of the crippled North Tower (WTC1) at 09:01 EST

The strike on the South Tower (WTC2 is on record as having occurred at 09:03:02 EST

The 9/11 Commission carefully analyzed the FDNY radio communications that day, and reported that the battalion chief (Palmer) was able to maintain radio communication that "worked well" with the senior chief in the lobby of the South Tower during the first fifteen minutes of his ascent. 

Palmer's assent of the South Tower is therefore stated to have commenced at or around 09:06 EST (see below), 3 mins after that building was hit.

At three minutes past nine, the primary emergency and the main known-known aspects of the emergency above-stairs was the explosions and fire raging in the North Tower - now, there are explosions happening directly overhead, out of their line of sight, with falling, burning debris raining down outside, making it impossible to step outside and visually inspect the result of this second impact;

For anyone standing in the Lobby, there would have been absolutely no way to asceratain with any certainty that anything was wrong with the South Tower, or reason to begin sending men (who didn't know the building) up flights of stairs into unknown dangers; 

Not in less than 180 seconds.

A message from a World Trade Center security official that the impact was on the 78th floor was relayed to Palmer, and he decided to try to take his team to that level. 

Beginning at 9:21 AM, Palmer was no longer able to reach the lobby command post, but his transmissions were recorded and analyzed later. 

How? Who recorded them?

And for what reason were the transmissions no longer getting through, when they were strong before?

The Vertical distance from the Command Post down the building core was less than a few hundred meters.

Was someone jamming their transmissions?

And if so, who?

He reached the 78th floor sky lobby, and his team not far behind him were able to free a group of civilians trapped in an elevator at 9:58 AM. 

In the fraudulent Naudet Brothers Film, it is stated: It takes a fully laden firefighter 2 minutes to climb one storey - he was therefore out of contact (according to this narrative) above the 8th Floor.

Palmer radioed that the area was open to the 79th floor, "well into the impact zone", and reported "numerous civilian fatalities in the area". 

Could he see human remains, or is this a "No Shit, Sherlock" moment..?

One minute later, at 9:59 AM, the South Tower collapsed, killing everyone still inside.

Michael Daly concluded that Palmer, "an uncommonly brave fire chief who was one of the department's most knowledgeable minds in communications perished never knowing of warnings telephoned by at least two callers less than 30 stories above him."

Although they lost their lives themselves, Palmer and his crew had played an "indispensable role in ensuring calm in the stairwells, assisting the injured and guiding the evacuees on the lower floors."

Who?