NYC Fire Department Releases Recorded 9/11 Histories

The oral histories released by the New York City Fire Department filled thousands of pages that evoked anew the horror of the attack on the World Trade Center, and brought to mind vivid memories of the chaos and tragedy surrounding the events of that day. The histories were recorded by firefighters about and during the events of September 11, including hours of radio transmissions between rescue personnel and dispatchers. The vast mine of records was released in response to a lawsuit filed by the New York Times for the records to be released so that families might be able to find some closure in knowing what the last moments were like for their loved ones. The unprecedented rush to the World Trade Center complex saved an unknown number of civilians, but cost the lives of 1,749 people, including 343 firefighters.

The department made public 15 hours of radio transmissions, as well as over 500 oral histories delivered by firefighters who were on the scene that day. At least 450 relatives of firefighters who died that day requested copies of the radio transmissions and oral histories, and their copies were delivered to them by express mail on Friday, according to the fire department. Some people have hoped that these new records will help in challenging the conclusion that many firefighters in the north tower ignored an evacuation message even though they heard it. At least one fire lieutenant quoted in the oral histories, Fire Lt. Gregg Hansson, says that he heard the call to evacuate and did see his colleagues leaving. He engine, Engine 24, was called to the north tower just one minute after the first plane crash. In his oral history he described hearing the call to evacuate while he was on the 35th floor, heading up the staircase of the north tower. "I was in the vicinity of the battalion chief, who was on the command channel, when I heard a mayday given over the command channel to evacuate the building," Hansson said. "He started to tell everyone to evacuate, and I did also. I saw all the units get up, everybody got their gear, everybody started for the staircases to evacuate."

Reading any part of the 12,000 pages of transcripts from the oral histories brings back sharply the pain and anguish of that terrible day. Firefighter Maureen McArdle-Schulman recalled one of the most horrific scenes of the day for her. "Somebody yelled something was falling," McArdle-Schulman recalled. "We didn't know if it was desks coming out. It turned out it was people coming out, and they started coming out one after the other." The people choosing to end their lives rather than burn to death was one of the most heart-wrenching moments in the middle of the chaos. "I felt like I was intruding on a sacrament," she said. "They were choosing to die and I was watching them and shouldn't have been."

Independent investigations by officials who have had access to the documents for some time before their release to the public have already described major flaws in the city’s response to the attack, including vital messages that went unheard, emergency radios that did not function correctly, and police and firefighting units that did not work together successfully. Despite the fact that hundreds of people were saved by the heroism and bravery of the fine police officers and firefighters of New York City, it seems that, true to form, there are many people who still want to find someone to blame for more people not being saved. Despite the fact that no attack of this magnitude had ever been carried out anywhere on American soil, and the city’s emergency departments had never had to train or prepare for anything remotely like 9/11, there are still people who think the police and fire department could have handled things better.

Perhaps those people offering criticism should have been there that day themselves, if they think they could have done better. The criticism now being offered only serves to tarnish the bravery and unconditional sacrifice made that day by hundreds of dedicated emergency personnel who gave their lives to save others.