Joseph W. Pfeifer (born 1956) is a retired FDNY firefighter best known as the first chief to respond to the World Trade Center during the September 11, 2001 attacks, where he set up an Incident Command Post in the North Tower lobby and coordinated the rescue effort. Facing an unprecedented crisis, he ordered the evacuation of both towers and personally sent hundreds of firefighters, including his own brother Kevin, into the building—a decision that tragically marked the last time he saw him. Surviving both tower collapses, Pfeifer escaped through a pedestrian bridge while carrying the body of FDNY Chaplain Father Mychal Judge, and he shielded documentary filmmaker Jules Naudet, who captured the only known footage of the first plane hitting. His career progressed from starting as a firefighter in 1981 to serving as First Deputy Commissioner (February 2023–September 2024) and Acting Fire Commissioner in August 2024, before retiring in 2018. Beyond his heroic actions on 9/11, Pfeifer holds multiple advanced degrees, including an M.P.A. from Harvard Kennedy School and a Master's in Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School.