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Friend : Lt. Bob Cirri (KA2OTD)

http://ka2otd.org --

Bob died in the line of duty while acting as a police officer and paramedic evacuating people from the World Trade Center.

Contributed by : Steve Makky, Sr. (KA2AYR)

Friend : Bob Cirri (KA2OTD)

For as long as anyone can remember, Bob
did two things: be on the radio and help
people. My earliest recollection of Bob
was 1976 when I got a CB radio for my
birthday. The official-sounding "Hudson
County Monitor" was receiving calls for
car accidents and relaying them to the
police on the emergency channel, except
he sounded as young as me. We finally
got to talking and found that we were
both only-children. We would become just
about family for the next 25 years
through life's adventures. Eventually I
became licensed and when I turned 18, it
was my pleasure to administer Bob's
novice exam. Bob took to amateur radio
and worked his way up to Extra. He was
always heard going to and from work at
all hours on my 440 repeater. Bob also
worked HF and got a 6 meter Azden as a
present from his wife, Eileen. We used
to have a sked from Missouri to New
Jersey after I moved and even made
contact on 6 meter FM. Bob loved public
service and helped revitalize the Hudson
County emergency management amateur
radio program. Bob was also a member of
a group of public safety oriented
amateurs in northern New Jersey. Bob was
both a paramedic and a police
lieutenant, and actively worked as a
Hackensack University Medical Center
paramedic during much of his time off
from the Port Authority Police. On a
cloudless September morning in 2001, Bob
reported to work as the executive
officer of the Port Authority of New
York and New Jersey's police academy. He
answered the call of aircraft into the
World Trade Center towers, along with a
number of his colleagues. He, and
Captain Kathy Mazza, helped rescue a
number of people from limited egress in
the World Trade Center lobby. A number
of radio and interview transcripts show
Bob led a rescue team of police officers
through 1 World Trade Center going floor
by floor to get victims out. After 2 WTC
collapsed, Bob and his crew were
hustling to get a disabled woman in a
stair chair out of the building. They
could have ran for their lives and
possibly made it out, but they wouldn't
leave her behind. The building came in
around them.

Bob managed to get a cellular call
through to his wife while Capt. Mazza
and he were helping bring people out of
the lobby. He said he'd be okay. The
next morning I received a call from his
number. I answered the phone expecting
to hear his voice, but it was Eileen
telling me he didn't come home that
night. He was found with his crew the
following February as construction
workers and rescuers removed pieces from
the Pile. Media reports indicated they
were close to the exit but ran out of
time.

Bob left behind Robert, Anthony,
Jessica, Bianca, Francesca, and Kara.
Robert and Anthony are now police
officers in New Jersey.

Contributed by : Steve Makky, Sr. (KA2AYR)

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Friend's CallsignKA2OTD
Friend's NameBob Cirri
Date DeceasedSeptember 11, 2001
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