novel YORK -- Trapped and running ...

novel YORK -- Trapped and running without of air on the of the nature of smoke 83rd floor of the World Trade Center Melissa Doi begged the 911 operator not to hang up

"Can you stay onward the line with me, please? I have feeling like I'm dying," Doi said.

The operator stayed upon for 24 minutes, imploring Doi to detain breathing and praying, saying, "It's going to be fine" through and over, long after Doi had stopped talking.

Finally, the connection lasted "The line is now dead," common dispatcher said. "Oh my lord," said the operator.

Doi, a 32-year-old financial manager, died in the World Trade Center's southern tower Sept. 11. On Wednesday, her voice was heard as the city released recently made known tapes of hundreds of heart-wrenching phone calls, along with other difficulty transcripts.

The tapes recorded rescuer complaining about chaos in the twin towers. unless they also evoked the firefighters' powerful faculty of perception of duty, with some struggling to evacuate the towers and others begging dispatchers to launch them to the scene. A total of 343 firefighters died in the disaster.

CIVILIANS' VOICES EDITED not at home

"We're in a state of confusion," Battalion Chief Dennis Devlin said, standing inside a command position at the trade center. "We have no solitary abode; squalid phone service anywhere because of the disaster."

Devlin was single of 19 dead firefighters whose voices were captured upon the 1,613 previously undisclosed pass calls. The New York Times and relatives of clan 11 victims sued for release of the tapes to learn what happened in the towers and what dispatchers told workers and rescuer

chiefly of the calls involved firefighters and dispatchers. The voices of 10 civilians calling from inside the World Trade Center were edited on the outside for privacy.

Within minutes of the first plane hitting at 8:46 a.m., firefighters -- a certain number of off-duty, some even retired -- began calling dispatchers to offer their help. Lt. Timothy Higgins, in a typical replication called at 8:52 a.m.

"We're available for the trade center" he presented

"OK thanks," replied the dispatcher. Higgins, with five other members of his squad, made the trip to Manhattan. All six died.

In the Bronx Lt Michael Healey called a dispatcher just before the inferior plane hit to ask for an assignment in lower Manhattan.

"I was just seeing if he could maybe possibly win us over there, so, just maintain us in mind, over into Manhattan," he said.

"OK" the dispatcher said. They answered and Healey and five other squad members were killed.

A CHAOTIC sight

Devlin, in the lobby of the southern tower, provided a glimpse of the puzzles Thirty-five floors above, fire Capt. Patrick Brown reported a chaotic view of civilians -- some with calcine injuries -- going down the stairwell as firefighters headed into the fire.

"Apparently it's above the 75th floor," Brown said in the 24- next to the first exchange barely an hour before the north tower unrelenting "I don't know if they got there still We're still heading up."

Family members complained that their lov undivideds were betrayed by poor communication that could have young oxed them outside before the buildings collapsed.

THE VOICES FROM 9/11

- "We're in a state of confusion. We have no confined apartment phone service anywhere because of the disaster. . . Bring all the additional handy talkies." -- Battalion Chief Dennis Devlin, who died

- "One of the towers just collapsed. Everybody's got to be inside of it. . . There's got to be thousands of the public inside it. One of the towers just came down forward top of EVERYBODY." -- Unidentified fire lieutenant

- A conversation between an off-duty dispatcher and her supervisor:

Supervisor: "Why are you crying, Carol?"

Dispatcher: "The World Trade Center collapsed."

Supervisor: "Everything is collapsed, baby."

Dispatcher: "All those population -- what about the EMT and paramedics and firefighters in there helping race get out?"

Supervisor: "I don't know, sweetie, I really don't know."

- "Keep praying. They'll be in there pretty soon It takes a while to come by up those stairs . . It's going to be fine. It's going to be fine." -- Dispatcher to 9/11 victim Melissa Doi, who died onward the 83rd floor of the southerly tower.

AP

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

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