Lieutenant
Kevin Pfeifer
Engine 33
Laid
to Rest
on February 9, 2002
Shouting
With His Life To the casual acquaintance, Kevin Pfeifer had
a manner ‹ a quiet, thoughtful demeanor ‹ that seemed of a
piece with all the philosophy courses he took at Marist College.
His gift for abstractions, though, was far exceeded by his
taste for the concrete. And adventure. He learned to fly,
and logged 400 hours of flying time. He learned to sail, and
loved to bring his friends out to race the tankers around
Sandy Hook or his nieces and nephews out on Jamaica Bay. He
loved to drive, and managed to sneak onto the secure grounds
at Kennedy Airport, where he sped along a runway. Mr. Pfeifer,
42, shouted with his life, not with his mouth. Growing up
in Middle Village, in Queens, and spending many summer days
in Breezy Point, he developed a close circle of friends who
ate at Beefsteak Charlie's and joined him for his capers on
the ground, at sea, in the air. He knew that fun was where
you made it: he organized a legendary bash at an abandoned
missile silo near Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. In Mr.
Pfeifer's work as a city paramedic and later as a fire lieutenant,
he had a knack for quietly bringing out the best in people,
his brother Joseph said. Joseph Pfeifer was among the first
battalion chiefs at the trade center on Sept. 11. He spotted
his brother coming in with Engine Company 33, and the two
Pfeifers exchanged a quick word, and then glances as they
parted. Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on November
24, 2001.
Newsday
Article