Firefighters and paramedics who answered the call on Sept. 11 say the attacks changed their profession, their training and their sense of duty.
Las Vegas first responders are still carrying lessons from Sept. 11 more than two decades later, and they say the attacks reshaped how they train, respond and think about risk. In interviews with KTNV, local firefighters and emergency personnel reflected on the day that sent many of their peers to New York City and set off lasting changes in emergency response.
The memories remain personal. John Steinbeck, then a Clark County Fire Department captain, told KTNV that he and his team were soon headed to New York after the attacks, a reminder of how far the impact of that morning reached beyond the East Coast.
For Las Vegas residents, the anniversary is less about ceremony than about continuity: the same crews that answer calls across the valley now work in a post-9/11 world shaped by new protocols, heightened awareness and a deeper emphasis on coordination. The reflections underscore how a national tragedy became part of the professional DNA of local first responders.
In a city built on rapid growth and constant reinvention, the 9/11 anniversary still pulls attention back to the people who run toward danger when everyone else is trying to get out.