FDNY Battalion Commander Richard Picciotto was the highest-rankingfirefighter to survive the collapse of the World Trade Center. He is atwenty-eight year veteran of the New York City Fire Department. For thepast nine years, he has presided over FDNY's Battalion 11, coveringManhattan's Upper West Side. In 1993, as a battalion commander assigned toLower Manhattan, he was the second chief on the scene immediately followingthe first attack on the World Trade Center, coordinating operations andrescue efforts in the North Tower.