New York, NY —

The New York City Fire Department today released dispatch tapes and other records related to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. The material was released in order to comply with a New York State Court of Appeals ruling earlier this year on a lawsuit brought by The New York Times and families of 9/11 victims.

WNYC's Beth Fertig prepared the above report, with excerpts, on the released tapes.

First Alert
Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer was just north of the towers and saw American Airlines Flight 11 crash into the north tower of the World Trade Center. His report starts at 8:46:43 a.m. on September 11, 2001 -- three seconds after the plane hit. It includes his very early, and obviously accurate, speculation that was was a terrorist attack. Chief Pfeifer survived the 9/11 attacks.

Collapse and Confusion
At the time of the South Tower collapse at 9:59 a.m., FDNY's Manhattan firefighter frequency, heard here, is jammed with so many people talking that no communication gets through. Then, personnel on a Fire Department boat -- Marine 3 -- alerts dispatchers to what they say is a partial collapse. Another boat confirms a full collapse.

Eerie Silence, Dispatchers' Calm
Seven minutes after the South Tower collapsed, a dispatcher working to coordinate the response from Central Park tried repeatedly to contact anyone at that tower, particularly at the Command Post, he calls "Field-Comm." Getting no response, he calmly works to find another way to get information so he can direct help to the right places.