NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The call came in at 8:50:30 a.m., four minutes after the first plane struck the World Trade Center.
``Yeah. Hi. I'm on the 106th floor of the World Trade Center. We just had an explosion on the, on the like 105th floor.''
It was Christopher Hanley, 35, who was attending a conference at the restaurant Windows on the World on the morning of Sept. 11. 2001.
1010 WINS Audio: WTC Victim in 9-1-1 Call
(courtesy www.nytimes.com)
He was one of 28 people whose 911 calls from the trade center are scheduled to be released in edited form by the city on Friday in response to a court order.
The calls, in almost all cases, will include only the voices of the 911 operators. An appeals court ruled last year that the words of the 911 callers should be confidential and in the calls that identified the callers by name, their family members should have the option of deciding whether to release the information.
But on Wednesday a judge ordered the Fire Department to release the names of the 28 people who are identified by name in the tapes and also information that could help identify others in edited tapes and transcripts of more than 100 calls for help from the twin towers.
State Supreme Court Justice Richard F. Braun issued the order at the request of The New York Times and its reporter Jim Dwyer after hearing arguments that releasing the names of 27 people killed at the trade center and one survivor would not violate privacy interests.
In a story that appeared in Thursday's Times, family members of three victims obtained the tapes from the city, with their loved ones' voices not edited out, and listened to them with a Times reporter present.
Hanley's parents, Joe and Marie Hanley, said they had at first decided not to listen to the tape but changed their minds.
On the tape, Christopher Hanley, who worked for Radianz, then a division of Reuters, spelled out his last name and said, ``We have smoke and it's pretty bad.'' The 911 operator connected him to the Fire Department.
``Sit tight,'' the fire dispatcher said. ``Do not leave, OK? There is a fire or an explosion or something in the building. All right? I want you to stay where you are.''
The dispatcher told Hanley to keep the windows open, and he responded, ``We can't open the windows unless we break them.''
``OK,'' the dispatcher said. ``Just sit tight. Just sit tight. We're on the way.''
``All right,'' Hanley said. ``Please hurry.''
Hanley's parents said they were proud of their son for remaining calm on the tape.
``He was strong and thinking so clearly and beautifully,'' Marie Hanley said. ``Patient with the Fire Department and 911. It brought everything back up again.''
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The following is the transcript of the 911 call made by Christopher Hanley on Sept. 11, 2001.
Transcript courtesy of the NY Times:
NYPD OPERATOR: Police Operator One-Eight-Eight-Six. What is your emergency?
Christopher Hanley: Yeah. Hi. I’m on the 106th floor of the World Trade Center. We just had an explosion on the, on the like 105th floor.
NYPD: The One-O-Six floor?
CH: Yes.
NYPD: One-O-Six. Ok. Um..
CH: We have a conference up here. There is about 100 people up here.
NYPD: What is your last name?
CH: Hanley. H – A – N- L- E-Y.
NYPD: H-A-N..
CH: We have smoke and it’s pretty bad.
(Operator can be heard typing…..)
NYPD: This is on the One-O-Six floor, right?
CH: Hello?
NYPD: OK, we have the job. Let me connect you with the fire, OK?
CH: Yes, there is fire, smoke.
NYPD: You have..Hold on, let me connect you with fire. OK?
CH: We have about 100 people here.
We can’t get down the stairs.
NYPD: Hold on. Let me connect you with fire.
(Pause)
NYPD: Come on now.
(PHONE RINGS)
FDNY DISPATCHER: Fire Department 408. Where’s the fire?
CH: Yeah. Hi. I’m on the 106th floor of the World Trade Center. We just had an explosion up here.
FDNY: Ok. One-O-Sixth floor.
What building are you in, sir? One or Two?
CH: That’s One World Trade.
FDNY: Alright.
NYPD: (Still on the line) One?
FDNY: Yeah.
CH: Yeah, there’s smoke and we have about 100 people up here.
FDNY: Sit tight. Do not leave, OK? There is a fire or an explosion or something in the building. Alright? I want you to stay where you are.
CH: Yes.
FDNY: Alright, what’s your phone number there?
CH: We’re on the 106th, the 106th floor.
FDNY: What’s your phone number.
Sir. Your phone number.
CH: XXX-XXX-XXXX
FDNY: Alright, we’re there. We’re coming up to get you.
CH: I can see the smoke coming up from outside the windows down…
FDNY: Alright. We’re on the way.
CH: Huh?
FDNY: We’re on the way, sir.
CH: OK. Please Hurry.
FDNY: Alright, just keep the windows open. It’s going to be awhile because there’s a fire going on downstairs.
CH: We can’t open the windows unless we break them.
FDNY: OK. Just sit tight. Just sit tight. We’re on the way.
CH: Alright. Please hurry.
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