Jay hesitated. He put great stock in following orders and maintaining discipline, especially in the midst of a chaotic fire response. Jay hadn’t heard a command on the radio ordering them to evacuate, and he didn’t want to break ranks. But Jay also knew that he couldn’t rely on his radio, so maybe he’d missed a Mayday order to evacuate. Jay made his decision. He walked over to his men, all still catching their breath: “It’s time for us to go home.” He didn’t explain his reasoning, or even that the South Tower had fallen. At that moment, just after 10 a.m., Jay and his men were among roughly
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