This weekend marks 15 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Winter Garden resident Jimmy Brown remembers that day clearly. He was a New York City firefighter working in south Manhattan that day.
He was one of the first firefighters to respond on Sept. 11.
- Jimmy Brown recalls being in the North Tower moments before it comes down
- He co-founded Wounded Officers Initiative, which helps officers injured in line of duty
“We got paired up with another engine company to literally climb to meet the fire,” said Brown.
Brown got to the 23rd floor of the North Tower before he and others decided they needed to get out.
He was able to escape, just minutes before the tower came down, but the debris started piling up.
“It started burying me, when I got up to my shoulder, I literally thought this is how I’m going to die,” he said.
Brown was taken to a hospital, with bruises up and down his left arm.
“It is hard to believe, sometimes if feels like it was just yesterday, other times it feels like it was a lifetime ago,” Brown recalled.
Now, he lives in Winter Garden and works for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
He co-founded the Wounded Officers Initiative, helping officers injured in the line of duty.
He’s been busy lately, helping those who responded in Orlando to the Pulse Nightclub attack.
“We were getting approached by a number of officers and deputies locally here that knew what we’re doing, that were having issues with the after effects of being involved in that situation,” he said.
In Orange County Friday, a special breakfast will honor the victims of 9/11 and honor local first responders for their efforts over the past year.
Mike Fineo, a 9/11, survivor will also speak at the Patriot Day breakfast.
They will also honor first responders who helped in the Pulse aftermath.