Orio Palmer’s final radio transmissions from inside the South Tower have resurfaced as the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks approaches.
Palmer, 45, was a FDNY battalion chief who had spent two decades in the service when he rushed to the World Trade Center that morning. He was among the first firefighters to respond, and his immediate priority was restoring radio and repeater links in the South Tower that had been damaged by the initial impact.
With communications restored, Palmer and his team fixed an elevator that carried them to the 40th floor. From there, they began the grueling climb on foot, each man hauling roughly 50 pounds of gear.
“We’re going to have to hoof it,” Palmer radioed from the 69th floor. “I’m on the 69th floor but we need a higher bank.”
Along the way, on the 75th floor, he encountered Fire Marshal Ron Bucca, who had climbed all 75 flights under his own power. The two men continued upward together.
Half an hour after his transmission from the 69th floor, Palmer reached the 78th floor of Tower 2. His radio reports from that height painted a picture of both determination and grim reality.
“We’ve got two isolated pockets of fire,” Palmer reported. “We should be able to knock it down with two lines.”
He also noted the presence of “numerous 10-45 Code 1s,” the FDNY code for civilian fatalities. Seven minutes after that final assessment, the South Tower collapsed. Palmer, Bucca, and the rest of their team were killed, along with everyone still trapped inside.
The 343 firefighters who died that day remain remembered as heroes, and Palmer’s climb to near the impact zone stands as one of the most remarkable feats of physical endurance and duty recorded during the attacks.
Palmer left behind three children—Dana, Keith, and Alyssa—and seven grandchildren in Long Island, New York. His wife Debbie survived him by two decades, passing away in 2021.
On a website maintained in his honor, Palmer’s children shared a statement about the father they lost.
“Our dad’s actions on September 11th—and the way he lived his life leading up to that day—have long been a source of motivation and inspiration for us, as well as for our friends and family,” they wrote.
“Over the years, we’ve heard from many people who never knew him personally, but who were deeply moved by his story and driven to push a little harder, stand a little taller, or lead with more courage because of it,” the statement continued.
“We share his story here in the hope that it might offer you the strength or inspiration you need, whenever you might need it most.”
The audio of Palmer’s radio transmissions has circulated widely in the years since the attacks, preserved as both historical record and tribute to the men who kept climbing while others fled downward.