Photo by Tarmo Hannula

Watsonville Fire Battalion Chief Almita Schaefer tells students at Moreland Notre Dame School about the risks and rewards of being a firefighter Wednesday on the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

IN MEMORY Emergency first responders march up and down the wood stairs at Seacliff State Beach. (Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian)

Students and staff at the campus each year have welcomed law and fire first responders to a remembrance ceremony in their courtyard.

TAKING STEPS Watsonville Fire and Central Fire teamed up early Wednesday to hoist a giant flag above Seacliff State Beach to set the tone for a remembrance ceremony there. First responders took turns walking up and down a lengthy flight of stairs 13 times to symbolically reenact the efforts made by emergency responders who charged up into the flaming World Trade Towers. (Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian)

Around 300 firefighters plus other emergency officials and thousands of citizens died during the attacks and another 7,000-plus have died since then from hazardous exposure in the recovery efforts.

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Tarmo Hannula has been the lead photographer with The Pajaronian newspaper in Watsonville since 1997. More recently Good Times & Press Banner. He also reports on a wide range of topics, including police, fire, environment, schools, the arts and events. A fifth generation Californian, Tarmo was born in the Mother Lode of the Sierra (Columbia) and has lived in Santa Cruz County since the late 1970s. He earned a BA from UC Santa Cruz and has traveled to 33 countries.

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