9/11 Audiotapes Released

All personally identifying information and the voices of the callers have been redacted, but the NYC Law Department has released about 2.5 hours of 911 calls made on September 11.

NY1:

The release of the tapes follows a three-year lawsuit involving a group of nine families who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. The families fought for the release of the tapes, arguing that they are an integral part of piecing together what happened on the day of the attacks.
...
Meanwhile, relatives of 27 victims and one survivor received unedited versions of the tapes earlier this week.

The Hanley family from Manhattan released the full recording of the call made by their son Christopher. He was on the 106th floor of the North Tower when he called 911 at 8:50 a.m., four minutes after the first plane hit the tower he was in.

The audio [.rm] and transcripts [.pdf] of these 911 calls are available via the links below.

Audio
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

FDNY Call Transcripts
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9

EMS Call Transcripts
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

The typical call (judging only from the dispatchers' and operators' sides of the conversations) consisted of taking the caller's location and phone number, advising the caller to put clothing or a wet towel at the base of their office door to block smoke, to stay low to the ground, and to wait for firemen who were on the scene.  Callers were inconsistently advised to break windows if the smoke was making it difficult to breathe (FDNY generally advised yes, EMS generally said no), but they were repeatedly cautioned against entering the hallways or using the stairwells, unless they felt they had no other choice.  On a few occasions, the dispatchers seem to get flustered or short with the callers or operators (e.g. "We're there already, lady. Hang the phone up."), but all in all, they kept amazingly steady.

Quite bluntly, the FDNY Dispatchers appear to have managed better at remaining calm, professional, and focused than the EMS Call Receiving Operators (though the CROs were somewhat better at remaining courteous).  But when you get a feel for just how many panicked, desperate calls were flooding in, and the enormous pressure these people must have been under, it's pretty amazing they were able to keep it together at all.

Some chilling excerpts:

OPERATOR: It's full of smoke, and he said the floor has fell out of the building where he is.
DISPATCHER: Underneath him? The floor?
OPERATOR: Underneath him, yes.
*****
DISPATCHER: What have you got, PD?
OPERATOR: The World Trade Center just blew up.
*****
DISPATCHER: And it's a car on fire?
CALLER: [Redacted]
DISPATCHER: Okay. Have you looked up towards the top of the Trade Center recently?
*****
DISPATCHER: Yeah, we're getting -- we are getting a shit load of -- we are overloaded with phone calls right now.
*****
OPERATOR: ...World Trade Center just blew up.
CRO: The whole center?
OPERATOR: Yeah, that's what they said.
CRO: My God, my God. They said an airplane crashed over here, AC. Oh, Lord. This makes me feel so bad, I can't take it. Once again, poor babies...
*****
Caller: [Redacted]
CRO: Keeps blowing up?
Caller: [Redacted]
CRO: How many times it blew up?
Caller: [Redacted]
CRO: Oh, my God. Hold on one second, please.
*****
CRO: Oh, God. You be trapped, something like that -- we've got the 83rd -- on the second World Trade Center on the 83rd floor five people were trapped, went unconscious. I don't know what they're doing. And it's an awful thing, it’s an awful, awful, awful thing to call somebody and tell them you're going to die. That's an awful thing. I hope -- I hope they're all alive because they sound like they went -- they passed out because they were breathing hard, like snoring, like they’re unconscious.
*****
CRO: Yeah, because they're buildings, big buildings, and they don't think. They don’t think. How could you have a big building and no way to get out of it? That's ridiculous. Anyway, if you had like a chute like you just slide down, that way the people don't have to walk down and more people can get out; just slide down the chute and you're out the door. That's what they should have. But you can't tell the rich people around here. Have a good day.
*****
OPERATOR: This is what I have, a jumper.
CRO: Oh, yeah?
CRO (to caller): Is he alive or dead? He looks dead?
...
CRO: Okay. So do you know which building he's on? He's landed on five?
CALLER: [Redacted]
CRO: He's landed on Five World Trade Center on the third floor on the platform?
*****
DISPATCHER: Do you have any other information in regard to this collapse?
OPERATOR: I beg your pardon?
DISPATCHER: Excuse me.
OPERATOR: I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.
DISPATCHER: Do you have any information about collapse?
OPERATOR: About any what?
DISPATCHER: Never mind...