Joseph Maffeo, 30, had been with the FDNY since 1996, following a father who had been an FDNY Captain with 40 years on the job. He had been studying for the Lieutenant’s exam all summer. That morning Maffeo was on a 24-hour overtime shift.
He kept his hand in a construction business building houses with his brother in law. At the firehouse, “Mr. Gadget” had a reputation for always inventing things to make the job easier. Ladder 101 uses a device he designed to control a door during forced entries.
Maffeo was married 3 years and had an infant son. His wife was in Florida on 9/11. Although there were early rumors that all the men of 101 returned, she was fearful. He hadn’t called. If he had survived she knew he would have called.