Firefighters share where they were on September 11, 2001

“I was going to my first probationary spot in Malibu; beautiful September day, beautiful waves, driving on PCH and being thankful that I had such an awesome job. And I was listening to the radio and reports of planes hitting one of the twin towers, but I didn’t realize the magnitude of it until I got to work. Just one of those things that you’ll always remember. Even when I have Alzheimer’s, I’m going to remember that.”

– Victor Rossi, Los Angeles County Firefighter

“When I watched the coverage in my living room, it was horrific and I’m thinking . . . if they hit San Diego, I could be next. We go in, and we might not ever come back. And I looked at the did exactly what we would have done. They went up to do their jobs and most of them never came back.”

– Steve Michaels, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department

“I was actually home with my wife, going to San Diego State at the time. Not too long after (9/11) happened, that really reinforced me wanting to become a firefighter. So three years later, I became a firefighter. It motivates me to train harder, to make sure that I do everything safely, so I can come home.”

– Ahman Grayson, San Diego County Firefighter

-Tara Millspaugh, News Editor

-Stacey Oparnica, Staff Writer

-Laura Nguyen, contributor