A handful of events in Santa Barbara County are scheduled for this week to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
COVID-19 concerns have adjusted local public events, and the commemorations this year will occur online or in-person with required social distancing and mask-wearing.
Local fire departments throughout the county will host annual 9/11 remembrances Friday morning. The public is welcome to attend.
The events will honor the memory of the victims in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and on United Flight 93, as well as the many people who performed heroic deeds on that cataclysmic day.
» The Santa Barbara County Fire Department plans to host a virtual ceremony at 9 a.m. Friday to honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 victims of the attacks and the first responders, along with military members who lost their lives fighting the terrorism behind the attacks. The public is invited to tune in live at KEYT.com or a televised broadcast on local Cox Communications Channel 13.
Out of an abundance of caution because of COVID-19, the fire department has decided to conduct this year’s ceremony virtually.
County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig and county Sheriff Bill Brown will make brief remarks after a moment of silence and flag-lowering at the county fire headquarters in Santa Barbara.
“We will never forget the terrible tragedy that occurred that day,” fire Capt. Daniel Bertucelli said in a statement.
» The Lompoc Fire Department plans to hold a remembrance ceremony at 6:50 a.m. Friday at Fire Station No. 51, 115 South G St.
The station’s flags will be lowered to half-staff at 6:58 a.m., and a moment of silence will be observed. Flags will be left at half-staff for the remainder of the day to honor those who died in the terrorist attacks.
“It is our pledge to never forget what happened on that day, and to continue to reflect and honor those who lost their lives,” Battalion Chief Brian Federmann said in a statement. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we ask that if you join us, you adhere to social distancing, and participants must wear a mask.”
The department also will livestream the ceremony on its Facebook page to allow the community to participate from home. Online viewing of the event will be available by clicking here.
» The Santa Maria Fire Department will commemorate the losses suffered by the nation with its simultaneous ceremonies at 7:30 a.m. at each fire station in the city.
There will be a moment of silence, brief comment from ranking officer at each of the stations and sounding of the air horns to conclude. The stations’ flags will be lowered to half-staff for the day in honor of those lost.
“The ceremony usually only lasts a few minutes,” Battalion Chief Anthony Clayburg said. “We welcome the public, but must require masks be worn and social distancing adhered to.”
» Pre-coronavirus, the Reagan Ranch Center, at 217 State St. near the train depot, organized an annual memorial of flags at Santa Barbara’s East Beach for each victim of the 9/11 attacks.
To honor social distancing, this year’s memorial will be set up at former President Ronald Reagan’s Rancho del Cielo and livestreamed for viewing.
Twelve Providence School students and three parents of students have been invited to help set up this memorial the day before the event, said Elaine Rottman, Providence School’s director of strategic communications.
» Raytheon doesn’t have any events planned for Friday at its Goleta facility, but the company will be placing flags and a wreath on the front lawn of the Goleta campus, 6380 Hollister Ave, according to Ryan Elliott, the company’s media relations lead.
If you know of an event planned around Santa Barbara County to commemorate the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks, email Noozhawk at news@noozhawk.com.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.