Joe Torrillo
Buried alive twice on September 11, 2001, this smart, funny, and now retired FDNY Lieutenant shares his amazing stories and strong messages that attendees will never forget. Joe travels the world as a professional speaker with a quest to make our country the "Re-United States of America", resurrecting patriotism, trumpeting the men and women of the Armed Services, mentoring adolescents, and inspiring audiences of all sizes to embrace change and never give up on their dreams.
Joe Torrillo was a 25 year Lieutenant with the NYC Fire Dept. who is now retired on disability. He spent the first 15 years of his career in Engine Company # 10, across the street from the South Tower of the World Trade Center. While recuperating from a severe injury on New Years Eve of 1996 going in to 1997, Joe was assigned to convalesce in the office of fire safety education.
Eight months into this "light-duty" position, Joe was ultimately named the Director of this public-based program. In his new position, Joe would co-design a children's state-of-the-art fire safety learning center, which opened in October, 2000.
This new venue, "The Fire Zone ", in the heart of Manhattan, was nominated and won the coveted "THEA" award at the Emmy's in 2002. Shortly thereafter, in January of 2001, Joe worked on a project with Fisher-Price Toys to help design a new children's "action figure", which was part of their line of "Rescue Heroes". This new action figure was named "Billy Blazes" and was a likeness of a NYC Firefighter, who was an addition to their other "Rescue Heroes ".
In conjunction with the Executives of the Fisher-Price Corp., Joe chose the "Fire Zone" as the location for the press conference to introduce "Billy Blazes", and then keeping with a safety theme, ironically chose the date of September 11, 2001, because 9/11 is the Emergency phone number in New York City.
On the way to the press conference, that was set for 9 a. m., Joe was about an eighth of a mile away from the World Trade Center, when American Airlines Flight #11 struck the North Tower at 8:46 a.m. Fearing for his Firefighter brothers in Engine Co. 10 and Ladder Co. 10 across the street from the Towers, Joe diverted to the scene to render assistance.
Three minutes after donning borrowed bunker gear, at 9:03 a.m., the second jet, flew over Joe's head and slammed in to the South Tower. With a background in Structural Engineering, Joe made an immediate assessment that everyone above the fire was doomed to death, and the buildings would collapse.
While Joe was involved in the rescue operation, the South tower fell at 9:59 a.m. Joe was buried alive with a fractured skull, broken ribs, broken arm, crushed spine and heavy internal bleeding. Shortly after being found alive in the rubble, they removed Joe on a long spine board and placed him on the deck of a boat on the Hudson River, with the expectation of getting him to a hospital.
As emergency personnel were holding his split scalp together, the North Tower fell and buried Joe alive again. He was alone in the engine room.
About 45 minutes later, Joe was once again rescued from the debris, and taken across the Hudson River, where he awoke in a hospital room at the Jersey City Trauma Center in New Jersey. Because he was wearing a borrowed set of firefighting clothing with the name Thomas McNamara, Joe was mis-identified by that name, and Joe was declared missing for 3 days.
By the time the sun set on the evening of September11, 2001, Joe had miraculously survived the collapse of both Towers, but with life-long injuries.
Sadly, "Billy Blazes" would come to represent the 343 New York City Firefighters who had made the supreme sacrifice of their lives in the rescue effort.
Today Joe Torrillo travels the world as a professional speaker with a quest to make our country the "Re-United States of America", resurrecting patriotism, trumpeting the men and women of the Armed Services, mentoring adolescents, and inspiring audiences of all sizes to embrace change and never give up on their dreams.
Joe has a wide variety of topics to choose from which are all both inspiring and high in content. His memorable programs are an excellent fit for ANY type of organization. Joe’s speaking engagements very often end with a standing ovation, followed by a long line of attendees excited to meet him and shake his hand.
Buried Alive With the Will to Survive - From Devastation to Inspiration
Sept 11th, 2001, is the day where the world stood still.
Buried, crushed and bleeding beneath the tons of rubble of the South Tower, Joe wondered what life could be if given just one more day. He was miraculously found alive by rescue workers with multiple fractures, a massive brain injury and barely breathing. The light of day was something he always took for granted. Within ten minutes of being rescued, Joe was buried again under the debris of the second collapse …the North Tower. Joe now travels the world sharing his amazing and inspirational story of survival. A real and regular person, he shares his lessons of managing fear under the most horrible situations.
The lessons Joe learned on and after September 11, 2001 inspire attendees to thrive through change under any circumstance, and to accept and handle unexpected stress and adversities - redirecting them with positive empowerment toward reaching their goals and dreams. Attitude and perseverance are everything. **This program will be customized by Joe to meet your goals for the session.
- “You’ll never know your true strength until your weakest moment.”
- “Success is not luck - it is the intersection where preparation meets opportunity.”
- “Happiness is the paying the price of building character and a good reputation.”
- “Bravery is the coward that escapes from inside of you.”
- “The first step of getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.”
- “The best lessons in life often come from the bad and the wrong, for they are the ones from which you learn the most.”
- “Self doubt is our worst enemy, for it seeks to compromise our ability to succeed.”
Teamwork Now More Than Ever
In a weak economy, with constant threats of downsizing and layoffs, human behavior will fester in many different ways. Competition has always been the name of the game and will always be what most employees consider their path to job security.
Unfortunately, at the end of the day a company suffers from cut throat competition. All Firefighters consider every “save’ and every rescue a team effort and rightfully so.
Why not take a Firefighter’s attitude, carry it to the common workplace, and instill the concept of teamwork for the benefit of all.
Joe inspires all levels of employees to keep a “Team State of Mind” in all of their projects and job duties. Attendees leave this session with a renewed sense of their important individual role as a part of the Team!
Putting the Spark in __________’s Fire (your organization’s name listed there)
This is a corporate focused presentation focused on bringing all levels of employees and managers together, and re-identifying the intent of a person being dedicated to their work or job. Joe parallels his own career as a 25 year Lieutenant with the N.Y.C. Fire department as both a labor leader and an upper manager.
The end result has “the workers” and “the boss” recognizing and appreciating each others’ contribution to the efforts of the company.
Prejudice, Stereotyping, and Discrimination
Stereotyping are generalized convictions about people, places and things. Stereotyping is a mental vision that transforms a person’s views and ideas based upon prior perceptions.
It happens almost instantaneously, all humans are susceptible and it is something that is hard to control.
The big questions that arise are as follows:
- Is it bad to stereotype? (not always).
- Why do we stereotype? (Because of prior perceptions)
- Should we harbor the guilt of stereotyping? (Not necessarily Not until you look at who sets perception)
Beginning with his introduction, Joe sets the stage for his audience with a funny and perplexing appearance. From that point, and until the end of the presentation, the attendees for the first time in their lives begin to fully understand the issues and problems surrounding prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination, and how they develop.
The “ key point “ of the presentation is to remind everyone that stereotyping in general is not the issue, but more importantly it’s how we react to stereotyping - which can be a huge problem. Joe will give explicit examples of stereotyping, and will prompt audience participation.
This presentation will be sure to teach the skills that may prevent incidents where a person alienates another, ultimately ruining potential relationships or windows of opportunity. The audience will leave the presentation fully comprehending that those who do the most for us in life, are usually those that we least expected. The moral to the story is: Treat everyone equally, because you’ll never know who your heroes in life will be.
The Price Tag of Greed, An Overview of a Chutes and Ladders Life
In a world where all too often the ownership of materialistic things becomes a person’s priority, people in general have an insatiable need to satisfy their every want and desire.
Unfortunately, greed often leads to a life of crime and other misdeeds. Truth be told, after all is said and done - most people end up losing much more than ever stood to gain. Along with their losses, come severe regrets that compromise their happiness, dignity and respect forever. Additionally, their families often pay the cost of their unsavory behavior as well.
Joe was a poor kid from an Italian ghetto in Brooklyn, New York who was exposed to a life of crime as a young kid. Instead of following in the footsteps of gangsters, he earned his way in to the most accomplished and respected organizations in the world, the New York City Fire Department.
Hear the stories of people of fame and notoriety who threw it all away for the sake of illegal and immoral actions. Using simple arithmetic, people will be amazed how devastating costly greed inflicted mistakes can be.
Everyone from the Mafia to missionaries will be discussed, and attendees will think not twice, but a hundred times, before they themselves fall to errant ways. The final message to the audience is simple: It can take a lifetime to build a reputation, but you can lose it one split second.
In our search for a speaker who was a survivor of the attack in New York on September 11th, 2001, we found Joe who would reveal a miraculous story of survival to the people of Annecy , France at a conference for Pulmonary diseases. "Freelung" the not-for-profit French Organization that plans on offering free lung treatment for the victims of the attack on the World Trade Center greatly benefitted from his amazing speaking skills. Our biggest problem is handling and sorting all of the requests to have him return to speak again.
Dr. Karim Berkani Pulmonologist Annecy, France
Lieutenant Torrillo was so inspiring. Students gave him a standing ovation, after they sat respectfully for forty minutes listening to his courageous story of heroism. I was most impressed that he wove throughout his story the very important message of how students can be heroes every day by spreading kindness to other people.
Principal Burt Smith, Shepton High School, Plano Texas
Keynote speaker, Joe Torrillo, brought such a presence to the Nixon Library on September 11, 2011 when he spoke about the tragic events of 9/11. The audience was spellbound and deeply touched by his personal account of what occurred and humbled by what one man can endure and still survive. It was an honor and an inspiration to hear and meet Joe and something I will never forget.
Mayor Nancy Rikel, Yorba Linda City Council
The San Diego County Fair invited Joe Torrillo to be a speaker on the Grandstand Stage for our annual 4th of July ceremonies. 4th of July at the San Diego County Fair is a huge tradition for the community of San Diego County with over 85,000 people attending the festivities. From start to finish, you cannot find a speaker who is more professional, charismatic, and committed than Joe Torrillo. We were delighted to host him at our event. His speech about patriotism in the United States was extremely moving and a wonderful way to kick off the evening for the thousands who witnessed his words on July 4, 2012. We are hopeful that Joe will be available for our event again in 2013. I would highly recommend his services to any organization looking for an authentic, dynamic speaker whose words will ring true to anyone of any demographic.
Katie Phillip, San Diego County Fair
Memory is a very fragile gift. Experiences that were once understood and deeply felt fade in the torrent of so many other remembrances. Joe Torrillo has devoted much of his academic and emotional life to remembering. For him, he was a NYC Firefighter who was part of a disappearing survivor of 9/11. His values today focus on keeping the terrible experiences alive for his fellow citizen. Joe presents in a clear, meaningful, and informative way that captures the audience.
Prof. Stuart Verstandig Sy Syms School of Business, Yeshiva University
It is with great respect and admiration that I write these words on behalf of Joe Torrillo. I had the privilege of meeting Joe in September of 2011 when he graciously agreed to appear in our pre-game ceremonies as we paid tribute to those who perished on 9/11. It was also a ceremony honoring those who have, and continue to serve our country in the military. Joe assisted us with several media interviews and was absolutely outstanding with the requests we put forth. His experience from that dreadful time, combined with his passion, articulation and optimism made for a tremendous presentation to members of the media. Joe also captivated a large group with a special presentation regarding his 9/11 experiences for one of our season-ticket holders during his visit to Southern California. I truly hope we have an opportunity to work with Joe again in the future. It would be both our pleasure and privilege.
Tim Mead, California Angels Baseball