Captain Alfredo Fuentes

9/11 – F.D.N.Y.: Survivor (World Trade Center) FDNY firefighter, operated at the WTC attacks on 9/11, almost died from injuries received, found 2 hrs later, in coma…

Program Titles

American By-Choice: One Mans Journey – FDNY firefighter, operated at the WTC attacks on 9/11
Survivor – Hurricane Sandy, October 2012: Car/s, house/s severely damaged, surge was 13′, lucky to be alive
Crisis management: Operated at numerous disasters
Fire Department Captain Al Fuentes was buried alive in the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center

Alfredo Fuentes is a retired Captain of the Fire Department, City of New York.

On September 11th, 2001, Fuentes as acting battalion chief led a contingent of fire boats on a mission to carry away survivors from the burning World Trade Center Towers.

In the midst of coordinating rescuers and pulling wounded firefighters from the wreckage in order to speed them to area hospitals, Fuentes himself was caught in the collapsing rubble as he rushed to search for more survivors in the North Tower.

He sustained crushing injuries to his skull, lungs, and ribs and lay pinned beneath a steel girder for over two hours.

Capt. Fuentes persevered through prayer, finally managing to radio his comrades and lead them to his position and his eventual rescue.

The story of 9/11 hero Captain Al Fuentes of the FDNY Marine Division. Captain Fuentes, now retired, was buried in the rubble of World Trade Center for nearly two hours before being rescued by his fellow firefighters.

His career spans 26 + years of serving this City and 30 + years specializing in the fields of Emergency Management, Disaster Preparedness, Disaster Response and Recovery, Search and Rescue (member of the NYTF 1 national USAR Team), and Emergency Preparedness.

Captain Al Fuentes holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology and a Masters degree in HLS Leadership in conjunction with the Naval Post Graduate School.

He has been a recipient of 11 meritorious awards as well as a 9/11 meritorious medal for actions during the 9/11 NYC terrorist attacks.

During his career Captain Fuentes has had an outstanding record in his profession not only in New York City but internationally, as well.

He has been a consultant and has performed work for FEMA for many years.

He responded and operated in the attacks on the NYC World Trade Center on 9-11-01 as Acting Battalion Chief for the NYC Fire Department, Marine Division where he was ultimately buried and trapped in the issuing collapse of the North Tower, eventually he was recovered, extricated and transported. He suffered various near fatal injuries and remained in a coma for weeks.

During his long career Captain Fuentes operated at the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995, the Humberto Vidal Collapse in Puerto Rico in 1997, Hurricane Huge (Puerto Rico, 1989), Hurricane George (The Dominican Republic, 1998), and many other emergencies and disasters, domestically and internationally.

He has been awarded a United States Patent for a “structure monitoring device.” He has written for various emergency magazines as well as his first book “American By Choice”.

He was an instructor for the New York City Fire Department and the United States Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

He consults for Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Dept. of Energy) and Homeland Security.

He holds numerous certificates in various disciplines such as, Confined Space, and Building Collapse.

October 2012 – Hurricane Sandy was on of the largest Atlantic hurricanes on record, as well as one of the costliest Atlantic hurricanes in history.

In the United States, Hurricane Sandy affected at least 24 states, from Florida to Maine and west to Michigan and Wisconsin, with particularly severe damage in New Jersey and New York.

Its storm surge hit New York City on October 29, flooding streets, tunnels and subway lines and cutting power in and around the city

In response to World Class Speakers inquiry regarding Captain’s Al Fuentes safety during Hurricane Sandy: Captain Al Fuentes responded with the following:
“Much to say, my family suffered during Hurricane Sandy, lost car/s, house/s severely damaged, surge was 13 feet. However we are all lucky to be alive. We had to evacuate, living with my family at this time. Hope to have electricity in the next few weeks in my home and heat later. Communication is hard as I lost my whole office…” Captain Al Fuentes

Alfredo Fuentes was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, a citizen of the United States; is bi-lingual: in English and Spanish.