Tim Brown

Tim Brown is a retired veteran of the New York City Fire Department whose career placed him at the center of several defining moments in American history. A 20-year FDNY firefighter, Brown is a survivor of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and a first responder to the earlier attack on the WTC. He also served with the New York Urban Search & Rescue Task Force team that responded to the terrorist attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. During his two decades with the FDNY, Brown advanced to Rescue 3, where he spent more than 10 years responding to emergencies.

On September 11, Brown was present during the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. He entered the lobby of the South Tower after the second plane struck and witnessed hundreds of injured people evacuating. After being sent out of the South Tower to call paramedics, Brown and the paramedics were just 20 feet from the building when the South Tower began to collapse. He sought shelter in the lobby of the Marriott Hotel as the tower fell and was later rescued by fellow firefighters. Brown lost more than 100 colleagues that day, including two close friends, Captain Terry Hatton and Captain Patty Brown.

Following his FDNY career, Brown continued to serve in public safety and emergency management roles. After his final FDNY assignment with Rescue Co. 3 in The Bronx, he served as supervisor of field operations in the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management and later worked on special detail to the federal government as a special assistant to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Brown has also served on the U.S. Department of Defense's 9/11 Prosecution Task Force in the case United States vs. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, et al., acting as liaison to 9/11 families, survivors, victims, witnesses, and government entities for the lead prosecutor, and maintaining a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance.

Brown has been featured in documentaries including "Forever Changed 9/11 in Remembrance" from the American Center for Law and Justice and "Rebirth," which was screened at the Sundance Film Festival, distributed by Showtime, and received a Peabody Award. Brown also appeared as Officer Jason Armstrong on the HBO series "Oz."

Brown is a speaker on post-traumatic stress, grief, resilience, and hope. In his presentation, "Truth in History, Patience in Grief," he shares his experiences of survival, loss, and the events of 9/11. He serves on the board of the September 11 National Memorial Trail and volunteers for the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. Through advocacy, public speaking, and ongoing service, Brown works to ensure the memory of those lost on September 11 endures.