The twentieth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks is Saturday. 97.9 The Hill spoke with local first responders in Orange County to hear their stories from that day and how it has impacted emergency preparedness since.
On September 11, 2001, Kirby Saunders, the now-director of Orange County Emergency Services, was a 19-year-old college student in Virginia. Forty-eight hours after the attack, he and two classmates were standing outside a pile of rubble at Ground Zero in New York City.
“It was not our intention to be there,” Saunders said. “We went to New York City to assist in any other way we could at the time. We were EMTs, and firefighters and just really had a calling to act and to help in any way that we could.”
Saunders said he spent about seven days helping in the recovery effort. After his experiences on 9/11, he said his true calling was emergency management.
“When I look back on 9/11, certainly it’s a point of somber reflection and remembrance,” Saunders said.
Saunders said those somber memories are quickly replaced with memories of smiles and hugs from people in New York City during the recovery effort. He remembers the homemade posters and cards and meals provided to him and other first responders.
“Just a complete gratitude and compassion and care that we all felt for one another as Americans but also as human beings,” Saunders said.
Hundreds of miles away from Saunders, Sheriff Charles Blackwood experienced 9/11 in Orange County. Blackwood was working the southernmost tip of the county and was visiting a home in White Cross. While there, he watched footage on the morning news from the first plane crash into the World Trade Center.
Blackwood said those attacks on September 11 taught many lessons.
“The main lesson that I think the emergency services department learned is we’re never prepared,” Blackwood said.
While he wasn’t directly involved, Blackwood said that day affected everyone in the nation exposing the vulnerability of the department. He said law enforcement protocol has since changed to where every tragic event can be managed by whoever gets to the scene first.
“Those firefighters taught us a tremendous lesson about owning your position,” Blackwood said. “You’re important and you can take all the good things that come along with your position, but when the bad things happen you got to step forward. They did that in an enormous way.”
Saunders echoed that first responders and emergency service workers continue to learn lessons from the tragedy 20 years ago. He continues to be thankful for responders’ service not only on 9/11, but every day.
“Every anniversary of September 11 is an important occasion for me not only to remember the sacrifices of the many responders both professional and lay responders of that day,” said Saunders, “but also to pay honor and tribute to the thousands of first responders that serve our communities – each and every day in many ways and sacrifice every single day to serve others.”
Several local events are planned to commemorate the twentieth anniversary. On Friday, the Town of Chapel Hill Police and Fire Departments are holding a ceremony recognizing the 343 firefighter lives lost. Three hundred forty-three American flags will be placed on the Chapel Hill Fire Department Station 1 lawn.
On Saturday morning, the UNC Army ROTC is holding its memorial stairs run in Kenan Stadium. The UNC football game versus Georgia State University will also honor first responders.
Featured photo via AP Photo/John Minchillo
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