September 5th marked Lt. Michael Quilty’s 20th anniversary with the FDNY. Over the course of his career, he had been cited for heroism three times. He had only been with Ladder Co. 11 for about a year on 9/11. Based in Alphabet City in Lower Manhattan, it meant he could ride to work on his bicycle, commuting across the harbor on the Staten Island Ferry. Quilty was a fan of all sorts of transportation. He also owned a kayak and a boat for fishing and waterskiing, had a pilot’s license, and that summer had become a certified diver along with his son. Like so many other firefighters, he was also a skilled carpenter and had renovated his family’s 3-story colonial house. Some sightings place Quilty on the 30th floor of Tower Two that morning.
He left behind two teenaged children.