Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that took place in New York City and Washington, D.C.

That day in 2001, over 2,900 people died as a result of the attacks, including over 20 Canadians. Two commercial airline planes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York City, while another was flown into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

Local teachers reflect

Alfred von Hollen was working as a Grade 7 and 8 teacher at Pioneer Middle School in Rocky Mountain House on Sept. 11, 2001.

Von Hollen recalls beginning the day hearing reports of a plane colliding with the World Trade Center towers in New York City.

Then the school bell rang and the day’s lessons began.

He says, as 2001 was a much less media-saturated time, information on what was happening was unclear for some time.

“We did not have a good video feed in our school,” he adds. “We had to go by what students were telling us. It was frightening not knowing what was going on.”

Von Hollen recalls later tuning into the radio and hearing from his wife about further attacks including at The Pentagon, a plane crash-landing in a rural field in Pennsylvania, flights being grounded throughout North America, and more.

“For us who travel, it changed everything,” he says, adding a 2002 trip to Las Vegas included noticeably increased security measures that he was unaccustomed to.

Von Hollen adds, it is quite remarkable how much things have changed 25 years later, especially now that everyone has a smartphone in their hands. “Nowadays, it’s everything as it happens,” he says. “That was not happening in 2001.”

Stephen Lush was working as a social studies and physical education teacher at Eckville Jr. Sr. High School that fateful day.

“I remember hearing about it on the radio and then turning on the TV at school to see if it was real,” he remembers. “I tried to just continue with the day like normal until my social studies class asked me about it. I didn’t know much about why or what happened and was just going through the motions to get through the day like nothing happened.”

When Lush got home later in the day, however, he watched the news in disbelief.

“I was shocked that this happened and worried about what the next target would be,” he remembers.

Students did ask him questions about it the following day, Lush recalls.

He recalls telling the students it was a tragedy that had shocked the world and that they should pay their respects to all of the families that had lost their loved ones.

Firefighter recalls September 11, 2001

Red Deer Emergency Services acting chief Curtis Schaefer was working as a firefighter in another community during the attacks and said he’ll always remember the impact of that day.

He said it was a surreal feeling to watch the events unfold on TV.

While he wasn’t directly impacted by the tragedy, he understood what the frontline firefighters and emergency crews were trying to do, which was to get as many people as possible to safety.

“September 11, 2001 really brought it to the forefront of the frontline risks of the job for all emergency services personnel and the citizens who lost their lives that day as well in the attacks,” he said.

The events of that day, he said, changed how emergency crews approached things such as protective gear, exposure to hazards and other ways of protecting themselves.

He said these lessons are often learned after the loss of first responders, in an effort to do better.

Firefighters’ National Memorial Day

This weekend, firefighters in central Alberta and across the world will remember those who risked their lives to save others and made the ultimate sacrifice.

Sunday marks Firefighters’ National Memorial Day, which was established by the Government of Canada in 2017 to honour those who have fallen in the line of duty.

Schaefer said Sunday will be a very special day.

“It’s a day for the fire service to take a moment and reflect on those who have been lost in service to their communities,” he said, adding that they’ll honour municipal firefighters, as well as wildland and industrial firefighters who’ve lost their lives over the past year.

The memorial ceremony will take place Sunday at 10 a.m. at City Hall Park in Red Deer. Schaefer encouraged the public to attend the ceremony.

He said it’s a solemn morning as they honour the lives lost in service. There will be a pipe and drum band leading the honour guard, along with a large contingent of Red Deer Emergency Services personnel, RCMP members and firefighters from some regional stations in attendance.

~ with files from rdnewsNOW/ Ian Gustafson