New York City, New York Sep 10, 2020 (Issuewire.com) - September 11, 2020, marks the 19th anniversary of a day in history we will never forget. The day that changed America as we know it. As we all stop and reflect on the events that occurred on this day, we remember the countless people that lost their lives and the volunteers who worked tirelessly to save so many on that fateful day.
Over 3,000 lives were lost during these horrific attacks on New York City’s World Trade Center, The Pentagon in Washington, D.C, and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Perhaps, one of the most honest and true statements about September 11, 2001, is described in an article by NBC news. “It doesn’t get easier. The grief never goes away. You don’t move forward — it always stays with you,”
Upon visiting the site of the attacks now stands The National September 11 Memorial and Museum to honor those victims of that fateful day. It displays monumental artifacts linked to the events of 9/11, presenting intimate stories of loss, compassion, reckoning, and recovery that are central to telling the story of the 2001 and 1993 attacks and their aftermath.
One of those very artifacts is the EVAC+CHAIR® Emergency Evacuation chair placed in the 9/11 Museum for saving the lives of several disabled individuals during the World Trade Center Attack in New York City. We reflect on the fascinating story of John Abruzzo.
“There were so many ways that we were lucky,” says John Abruzzo, of his narrow escape from Tower One of the World Trade Center. September 11th started as a normal day for John, who worked on the 69th floor as an associate accountant for the Port Authority. When the first plane hit the tower that day John, like others, rushed to the stairwell. However, evacuation for John would prove to be much more difficult than many other World Trade Center occupants. John is a C 5-6 quadriplegic who relies on an electric wheelchair for mobility.
That day, many seemingly ordinary people did extraordinary things. Ten such people were at John’s side. “There was no debate on whether I would be brought down or not by these people. It was more or less a collective decision,” says Abruzzo.
With the use of a special evacuation mobility device designed for the physically disabled, the EVAC+CHAIR® Emergency Chair, John was able to make an escape to safety. “It took us an hour-and-a-half to get down 69 floors.” Although it is designed to be guided by one person, three to four people handled the special evacuation chair while heading downstairs, rotating positions as necessary.
In the first attack on the World Trade Center in February 1993, John’s evacuation took six hours during which his electric chair was carried from the 69th floor to the 44th floor, where he was then transferred to a stretcher and finally exited the building. Shortly after the ’93 bombing, a number of products and systems were purchased to aid in the evacuation and life-safety of World Trade Center occupants. The implementation of these products EVAC+CHAIR® evacuation chairs proved successful on 911; lights stayed on while John and his friends evacuated, ventilation systems in the stairwells minimized smoke infiltration, and the evacuation chairs purchased by the Port Authority became a real life-saver.
Several disabled people were successfully evacuated with the EVAC+CHAIR® evacuation chair on that day. John and his group exited the tower and were out of harm’s way ten minutes before its collapse.
It is because of the EVAC+CHAIR® and those that risked their lives to bring me down that I am able to write these words.... John Abruzzo. “It felt like the building was punched,” he says. “
My desk faces north the side the airplane hit. Paper was just coming down. Worse, the building swayed–and only in one direction says John.
By the time John Abruzzo, had maneuvered his power wheel chair into the hallway, he saw only 10 of his coworkers, everyone else had already evacuated. A co-worker located one the many EVAC+CHAIR’s located throughout the building and transferred John Abruzzo into the Evacuation Chair of EVAC+CHAIR® of North America rescue device, which resembles a sled-like component that takes their place when going down stairs.
The survivors and their rescuers reported that they were able to make their way down the stairs as firefighters came up without any interference. It doesn’t take a level of disaster such as the Twin Towers attack to keep in mind the importance of getting all occupants out of any multi-story building or large venue to safely. Anyone who needs assistance down a stair case for any reason, in any building, in any situation that requires evacuation, can be helped to safety with any model of the product line of stair chairs and/or rescue chairs (evacuation chair) made by EVAC+CHAIR® of North America.
The Stair Chairs of EVAC+CHAIR® are of unique construction which makes it easy for anyone with any type impaired mobility (permanent and/or temporary) to be navigated up and/or down a staircase in time of need. The stair chair manufactured by EVAC+CHAIR® is engineered to maneuver smoothly and consistently using a patented continuous rotating V belt that ensures safety and allows the user to have total control of the chair’s descent speed down the stairs with relative ease, regardless of the passenger’s weight or size.
Evacuation Chairs by EVAC+CHAIR® of North America, are not only for people who are disabled, but also for people with sudden mobility impairment or temporary mobility impairment due to surgery or unexpected injury. You may have walked up the stairs at any given venue and/or building with more than one floor, however you experienced a sudden injury and now faced with impaired mobility to the extent you can not walk down the stairs. This would include, but not be limited to; heart attack, seizure or even a major asthma attack. Suddenly, you are faced with the challenge of staircase navigation maneuverability. Any building consisting of more than one level should possess an emergency stair chair by EVAC+CHAIR® of North American in place for that very reason. Being prepared for such an event can save time which has been proven to be a factor in saving lives.
EVAC+CHAIR® manufactures and supplies its EVAC+CHAIR® Emergency Evacuation Stair Chairs to a number of high profile organizations such as Apple, Disney and the NBA as well as a wide range of other venues in both the private and public sectors.
To read more on John Abruzzo and his experiences please visit:
https://evac-chair.com/about-us/utilized-at-the-world-trade-center-9-11/
Evac+Chair Evacuation Chairs
Media Contact
EVAC CHAIR NORTH AMERICA LLC mark@evac-chair.com (516) 502-4240 3000 Marcus Ave, Suite #3E6, Lake Success https://www.evac-chair.com
