Ronald Paul Bucca

Ronald Paul Bucca
Born	(1954-05-06)May 6, 1954 New York City, New York, U.S.A
Died	September 11, 2001(2001-09-11) (aged 47) South Tower, World Trade Center, New York City, U.S
Cause of death	Collapse of the South Tower during the September 11 attacks
Firefighter career
Department	New York City Fire Department
Service years	1979–2001
Military career
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Army Defense Intelligence Agency
Years of service	1972–2001
Rank	Captain
Battles / wars	Vietnam War

Ronald Paul Bucca (May 6, 1954 – September 11, 2001) was a New York City Fire Department Marshal killed during the September 11 attacks during the collapse of the World Trade Center. He was the only fire marshal in the history of the New York City Fire Department to be killed in the line of duty.

Military career

Bucca had served in the United States Army as a Green Beret during the Vietnam War. Later, he would serve the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) as an analyst. Becoming a warrant officer in the Army Reserve in 1986, he was subsequently injured on his civilian job as an FDNY firefighter, which cost him his qualifications as a paratrooper and ended his eligibility with the Army Special Forces, causing him to leave the service.

Firefighting career

Bucca's name is located on Panel S-13 of the National September 11 Memorial’s South Pool, along with those of other first responders.

Bucca was a 22-year veteran of the department; he was promoted to Fire Marshal in 1992. As such, he was one of the people who investigated the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the FDNY representative on the Joint Terrorism Task Force. By 2000, the fire department's seat was removed, and Bucca's position there relinquished.

Story from FDNY chief Vincent Dunn, on saftey regarding Ron Bucca. Approximately 1970-1980s . HELMET STRAPS: As a deputy chief, I investigated an injury to a firefighter in my division who fell from a six-story fire escape. Coming down a gooseneck ladder from the roof and venting rear windows at a top-floor tenement fire, he falls through the opening on a sixth-story fire escape. He drops his tool and his body strikes the fifth-floor fire escape’s waist-high outside railing, which he topples over, into space, falling into the alley be­tween the building and a neighboring building. At the fourth floor, he strikes and breaks a clothesline strung between the railing of the fire building and the back of a neighboring tenement. At the second floor level, there is a telephone wire from the fire building to the back of a building across a 15-foot alley. The telephone wire is reinforced by a steel cable spiked into the brick walls of both buildings. The firefighter’s falling body hits this horizontal cable and wire at stomach level, full force, and he spins uncontrollably in a somersault. Then he crashes into the concrete backyard, landing on his hands, knees and head. Unconscious, his hel­met crushed in on one side, he lies motionless.

EQUIPMENT CLEANING: Later in the hospital the doctor says to the firefighter’s captain, “He will sur­vive. He has a broken back and a concussion, but his helmet saved his life.” I look at the firefighter’s helmet held by the captain. It’s crushed on the side like an Australian bush hat, the brim flat against the side of the crown. I ask the captain of Rescue 1, “How on earth did his helmet stay on during a six-story fall?” The captain says to me, “Chief, this firefighter, Ron Bucca, served in Special Forces in the U.S. military in Vietnam. He made several combat jumps. He told me once, if you take care of your equipment, it will save your life. After each tour, he takes his gear from the apparatus, cleans it, checks its fit, and puts it in his locker.” RON BUCCA QUOTE: “IF YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR EQUIPMENT IT WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE.”

After responding to the September 11, 2001 attacks, Bucca ascended to the impact zone at the Sky Lobby on the 78th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center, along with Battalion Chief Orio Palmer. The two men, both experienced marathon runners, are believed to have made it to the highest floor of any first responders in either tower before the building collapsed. His body was found on October 23, 2001 and identified using his badge. Bucca was the only fire marshal in the history of the New York City Fire Department to be killed in the line of duty.

Legacy

In 2003, military police named the principal detainee holding camp in Iraq "Camp Bucca".

At the National 9/11 Memorial, Bucca is memorialized at the South Pool, on Panel S-14, along with those of other first responders killed in the attacks.

DIA honors Bucca each year through an annual award named after him. The award is given to a military reservist who demonstrates excellence in fulfilling the counterterrorism mission, the area that Bucca worked while at DIA.

Bucca's son, Ron Bucca Jr. joined the Green Berets at age 23, motivated to pursue terrorists like those responsible for the death of his father. He rose to the rank of Master Sergeant, and by 2021, had been through five combat tours.

External links

• "Ronald Paul Bucca". Legacy.com.
• Ronald P. Bucca at Find a Grave