September 11, 2026 • 5 mins
Firefighters from the New York City Fire Department flew out to New Zealand to do the Sky Tower walk today to commemorate the 343 firefighters who were killed 25 years ago on September 11th, 2001.
New York firefighter Dave Morkal was on ground zero that day, and he joined Andrew Dickens to discuss.
"As soon as we got there it was work is on. This is what we have to do. We have to save as many people as we can."
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Okay, we've got firefighters in Auckland today from the New
York City Fire Department. They flew out to New Zealand
to do the Sky Tower walk that happened today. And
the walk is on this day to commemorate the 343
firefighters who were killed on September the 11th, 2001. That's
25 years ago today, but really it's tomorrow because of
(00:21):
the time difference. The Auckland Sky Tower, by the way,
1,100 stairs, half of what the New York firefighters had
to climb. One of those firefighters who've come out for
the event is Dave Morkel, who is a retired New
York Fire Department battalion chief. He was at Ground Zero. Dave,
welcome to the program and thank you so much for
your service.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Well, thank you very much for having me. It's an
honor to be asked to talk.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Tell me about the day.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
It's such a great day. They do such a great job.
Great job remembering September 11th. Dave, we've got limited time.
I was actually thinking more about the day 25 years ago. Oh,
25 years ago. Thank you very much for clarifying that. Yeah,
(01:06):
it was a tough day. It was life-changing. It changed
how we do things. It changed our lives. It affected us.
We lost a lot of people, and the fire department was...
You know, you get up in the morning and think
that this is what the day is going to be
and it changes. And it was something we've never experienced
(01:29):
before and hopefully never have to experience again. And it
made us realize that even as big as we are,
we can't do it by ourselves.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
No, of course not. And what was the feeling of
disbelief and shock and horror when you actually came to
the site and actually saw the rubble and realized the
loss of life? I mean, how does that affect a
person personally? On the moment, do you burst into tears?
Do you feel sick to your stomach? What happened? Or
does the adrenaline take over and you go, I'm in
there to help my guys who are stuck in there? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
No, it's about adrenaline. It's about, you know, we have
a job to do. We pledge to protect lives and,
you know, protect property and save lives. We just went
in to do our job. As we were traveling down,
you would have some anger. You would be, you know, like,
this is crazy. But as soon as we got there,
it was... Work is on. This is what we have
(02:22):
to do. We have to save as many people as
we can. We have to do everything we can to
get those people out and to, you know, move on
and make this, do this job. There's not a fire
department in the world that will walk up to, pull
up to a fire and say, yeah, this is too big.
We've got to go home and let the fire burn.
We will answer the phone and we'll We'll solve the
(02:45):
problem every time.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
It's 25 years ago now. There are people there who
weren't even born when it happened. And, you know, always
these memories fade a little bit. But is the real
horror and also the real consequences of 9-11 still well
alive in America 25 years later?
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Well, I think that for us, it's not the horror.
It's the memory. It's the legacy that has changed the
fire department. And it's always a reminder. You know, on
August 31st, if it's a beautiful, clear, sunny day, it'll
be nothing to me. But on September 1st, when it's
(03:23):
a clear, sunny day, my heart rates up, my blood
pressure is a little bit higher. And then on September 12th,
it's like a weight has come off.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
How's your health? Because there's been a lot of stories,
particularly over this past week, about the long-term health effects
of the dust and the damage. And you were right
in there sucking it up. So how's your health?
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yeah, so far, so good. Some minor stuff, nothing big.
I feel blessed. We've lost 450 to 500 more members
since then through World Trade Center illnesses. It was nasty.
But for me, I'm still good. Mentally and physically, I've
(04:08):
processed a lot of stuff. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
And people are saying I was a bit rude putting
you back on track earlier in the interview.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
No, no, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
How was your day today?
Speaker 2 (04:23):
It was cathartic. It was spiritual. It was a great remembrance.
I've had a couple interviews. I've talked to different people.
In fact, my niece, who's a reporter in Texas, she
reached out to me. She wanted to do an interview
with That brought some tears to my eyes that she
wanted to talk to me. And even as you feel
(04:46):
those things that make you well up, it's natural, it's normal,
and it makes you realize that, yes, you are okay.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Dave, thank you for coming down. Thank you for your
service 25 years ago. Thank you for joining me on
the program today.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
News Talk ZB from 4 p.m. weekdays or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
Okay, we've got firefighters in Auckland today from the New
York City Fire Department. They flew out to New Zealand
to do the Sky Tower walk that happened today. And
the walk is on this day to commemorate the 343
firefighters who were killed on September the 11th, 2001. That's
25 years ago today, but really it's tomorrow because of
(00:21):
the time difference. The Auckland Sky Tower, by the way,
1,100 stairs, half of what the New York firefighters had
to climb. One of those firefighters who've come out for
the event is Dave Morkel, who is a retired New
York Fire Department battalion chief. He was at Ground Zero. Dave,
welcome to the program and thank you so much for
your service.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Well, thank you very much for having me. It's an
honor to be asked to talk.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Tell me about the day.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
It's such a great day. They do such a great job.
Great job remembering September 11th. Dave, we've got limited time.
I was actually thinking more about the day 25 years ago. Oh,
25 years ago. Thank you very much for clarifying that. Yeah,
(01:06):
it was a tough day. It was life-changing. It changed
how we do things. It changed our lives. It affected us.
We lost a lot of people, and the fire department was...
You know, you get up in the morning and think
that this is what the day is going to be
and it changes. And it was something we've never experienced
(01:29):
before and hopefully never have to experience again. And it
made us realize that even as big as we are,
we can't do it by ourselves.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
No, of course not. And what was the feeling of
disbelief and shock and horror when you actually came to
the site and actually saw the rubble and realized the
loss of life? I mean, how does that affect a
person personally? On the moment, do you burst into tears?
Do you feel sick to your stomach? What happened? Or
does the adrenaline take over and you go, I'm in
there to help my guys who are stuck in there? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
No, it's about adrenaline. It's about, you know, we have
a job to do. We pledge to protect lives and,
you know, protect property and save lives. We just went
in to do our job. As we were traveling down,
you would have some anger. You would be, you know, like,
this is crazy. But as soon as we got there,
it was... Work is on. This is what we have
(02:22):
to do. We have to save as many people as
we can. We have to do everything we can to
get those people out and to, you know, move on
and make this, do this job. There's not a fire
department in the world that will walk up to, pull
up to a fire and say, yeah, this is too big.
We've got to go home and let the fire burn.
We will answer the phone and we'll We'll solve the
(02:45):
problem every time.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
It's 25 years ago now. There are people there who
weren't even born when it happened. And, you know, always
these memories fade a little bit. But is the real
horror and also the real consequences of 9-11 still well
alive in America 25 years later?
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Well, I think that for us, it's not the horror.
It's the memory. It's the legacy that has changed the
fire department. And it's always a reminder. You know, on
August 31st, if it's a beautiful, clear, sunny day, it'll
be nothing to me. But on September 1st, when it's
(03:23):
a clear, sunny day, my heart rates up, my blood
pressure is a little bit higher. And then on September 12th,
it's like a weight has come off.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
How's your health? Because there's been a lot of stories,
particularly over this past week, about the long-term health effects
of the dust and the damage. And you were right
in there sucking it up. So how's your health?
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yeah, so far, so good. Some minor stuff, nothing big.
I feel blessed. We've lost 450 to 500 more members
since then through World Trade Center illnesses. It was nasty.
But for me, I'm still good. Mentally and physically, I've
(04:08):
processed a lot of stuff. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
And people are saying I was a bit rude putting
you back on track earlier in the interview.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
No, no, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
How was your day today?
Speaker 2 (04:23):
It was cathartic. It was spiritual. It was a great remembrance.
I've had a couple interviews. I've talked to different people.
In fact, my niece, who's a reporter in Texas, she
reached out to me. She wanted to do an interview
with That brought some tears to my eyes that she
wanted to talk to me. And even as you feel
(04:46):
those things that make you well up, it's natural, it's normal,
and it makes you realize that, yes, you are okay.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Dave, thank you for coming down. Thank you for your
service 25 years ago. Thank you for joining me on
the program today.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
News Talk ZB from 4 p.m. weekdays or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
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