For
any American who witnessed the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the date will
always hold a chilling significance. For Santa Barbara paramedic Daniel
Lee, however, that date is also the anniversary of a very happy event
— the birth of his son, Connor.
“It was incredible,” said Lee, who was on duty with American
Medical Response, or AMR, at the time of the attacks on the World Trade
Center and the Pentagon a continent away. Connor wasn’t due until
Sept. 21, he said. But Lee’s older son, Christian, was born early,
so when his wife, Melissa, called him at work and said she needed to go
to the doctor, he knew it was probably time for their baby to be born.
Changes behind the scenes more pronounced after 9/11
While it seems the everyday operations of Jill and Joe Blow are only slightly
different two years after 9/11, the changes behind the scenes are more
pronounced, according to officials from local public service agencies.
Heightened security measures, more complicated protocols and maintaining
standards despite California’s budget are just some of the difficulties
faced by law enforcement, airport employees and even administrators at
the Red Cross.
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