FDNY Reviews All Dispatches From Sept. 11

FDNY Reviews All Dispatches From Sept. 11

By GINGER ADAMS OTIS

The Fire Department April 12 ordered a comprehensive review of all tapes of firefighter and Emergency Medical Service dispatch communications for Sept. 11, 2001.

The announcement came after FDNY officials discovered that some calls were not included in tapes provided to the city's Law Department for release following a lawsuit filed by the New York Times and several World Trade Center families to make that information public.

The review involves running 250 hours of tape and will take several weeks to complete, FDNY officials said.

To Notify Families

Upon completion, the calls will be sent to the Law Department for processing. Family members of any callers who can be identified will be notified, even though only the operator's or dispatcher's side of the call will be publicly released.

Family members of callers may, if they wish, obtain complete copies of relevant sections. If the caller was a city employee who made the call in the performance of his or her duties, the full conversation will be made available after the family has been notified.