American Airlines Flight 191 Crash Fire Radio Communications

http://www.arlingtoncardinal.com/2009/05/25/30-years-ago-today-american-airli...

When American Airlines Flight 191 crashed just north of O'Hare International Airport there were were many witnesses to the smoke and fire that immediately rose from the crash site. Some fire units were already on the street and reported the unknown source of a huge fire and headed straight for the disaster scene.

This video clip includes the audio (with added transcript in video text) of the Local Fire frequency that was shared by several suburbs just north of the airport: Elk Grove Township, Elk Grove Village, Mount Prospect and Arlington Heights.

Abbreviations used in the video transcript:
AHTS ... Arlington Heights Fire Department serves the next suburb north of Elk Grove Village. The Arlington Heights Fire Alarm Office was also the command center for MABAS Division 1 (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) -- the mutual aid district that encompassed the disaster scene. The Arlington Heights Fire Department office managed the MABAS response via the NIFERN radio frequency, which is now known as IFERN and is used for major disasters when mutual aid among fire departments is required. Chicago Fire Department also managed a separate command that is not heard in this audio.

EGRT ... Elk Grove Township Fire Department is the fire protection district that was closest to the disaster scene, directly north of O'Hare International Airport. At the time of the crash, Elk Grove Township Fire Department was a brand new department. If I remember correctly, their ambulance had not yet certified for Advanced Life Support at the time of the crash. That is probably why EGRT Ambulance 321 was calling for help requesting an MICU. In the early days of Emergency Medical Service (EMS), Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances staffed by paramedics were called Mobile Intensive Care Units (MICU).

EGRV -- Elk Grove Village Fire Department was the next closest suburb to the disaster scene. EGRV borders most of the west side of O'Hare International Airport. Most of the dispatcher communication at the beginning of the audio is from the Elk Grove Village Fire Department fire dispatch/alarm office.

MABAS ... Mutual Alarm Box Alarm System invented in 1968 for suburban fire departments and modeled after the City of Chicago fire response alarm system. The system now includes the suburbs and the City of Chicago.

MTPR ... Mount Prospect Fire Department covers the next suburb north of the district covered by Elk Grove Rural Township Fire Department.

NIFERN ... Northern Illinois Fire Emergency Radio Network is former name of IFERN the current acronym for the Interagency Fire Emergency Radio Network.


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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• American
• Airlines
• 191
• crash
• fire
• Chicago
• O'Hare
• disaster
• communications
• radio
• emergency
• burn
• victim

[RenegadeChauffeur]

This incident effected me indirectly in two ways: 1) A girl in my pre-school class lost both her parents on that flight (try explaining death to a group of 4 year olds) and my late stepdad was one of the responding firefighters from the suburban fire departments that sad day. He told me some stories I cant repeat here. The memorial for the people killed that day as dedicated today, with NO HELP from AA. May the 273 people who died that May day 32 years ago rest in peace.

[resqone100]

this was my first week at Des Plaines FD. this is only the radio from Elk Grove Village, Elk Grove Township,Mount Prospect and Arlington Hts.

There were also tapes from the Des Plaines / Rosemont Channel, and elsewhere on Youtube is the Chicago tapes. Something I will never forget.

[johnblaster]

@138ozzilla you must have been about the age I am now. i can't even imagine what that must have been like for you. that's terrible. i'm very sorry.

[alexgonick]

this is hard to listen too. R.I.P ALL WHO PARISHED.

[alany3875]

Good grief at all the radio traffic!!! Just run the damn call.

[ChristopherSaindon]

@138ozzilla I'm so sorry for your loss 32 years but I remember it like yesterday. I was 9 and we had a family friend we had sent off with wishes for a great Holiday weekend. I remember the first news report and my mother breaking down crying immediately. It didn't sink in for me until the next day. You lost your wife and I cant imagine that; I am so very sorry. The memorial is long overdue and I'll be saying a prayer there as soon as it's complete and I wont forget her :-)

[Scorpion1054]

I was a kid in 1979 and remember watching tv and CBS broke in and reported that a DC-10 crashed on take-off out of Chicago.  Sad day.

[138ozzilla]

My wife died aboard this crash. 5.25.11 is the 32nd anniversary of this which is still the worse crash of a commercial airplane in US history. FINALLY after 32 years there is suppose to be a Memorial built by the fall of 2011. I can't believe it took 32 years!

[definealways]

Gives me chills to listen to this.

[mrMehumatti]

@nese67 I lived inside the plane.... I was 112 years old. Never will forget this.