On September 11, 2001, four airplanes were high jacked by terrorists and ultimately were flown into the Twin Towers in NYC, a field in Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon in Washington DC.

During this fascinating and heart-wrenching podcast, Chief Michael Leigh shares his 9/11 story as a critical part of the team that was first on the scene at the Pentagon in Washington. His firsthand account brings listeners along for the journey, helping to dissect the situation and how he and his colleagues helped to save countless lives by following protocol and leveraging their expertise in emergency medicine and rescue operations. 

“The size of a football field worth of destruction.”

Our podcast guest, Michael Leigh, is a battalion chief at Montgomery County Fire and Rescue in Maryland. He is also a Charter member of FEMA’s Maryland Task Force 1, serving as the task force medical manager.  Before becoming a first responder, he attended the American Military University. 

In addition to 9/11, Chief Leigh provides a history of USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) teams and the progress made over the past X years, as well as his own involvement, working to educate others in the rescue community and help evolve our nation’s response team to become the first class organization it is today.