9/11 Photo Project

"The way that we do business will never be the same."

San Diego Fire Capt. Justus Norgord, from Station No. 33 in Rancho Bernardo, said 9/11 has changed the way he does his job, and the way he sees his job.

"We always err on the side of safety. ...It really opened our eyes to the realization that we can be attacked on such a grand scale," Norgord said. "We lose firefighters every day, but to lose so many in one hit in such a way is shocking and obviously it's changed the way we think about things and the way that we do things."

Norgord said a friend of his was a firefighter in New York City on 9/11 who was on his way to an appointment when the towers were hit. Survivor's guilt—the friend lost his crew, including a young firefighter who filled in for him while he was at his appointment—plagued the friend in the aftermath, Norgord said.

The captain went back to New York to try and help his friend.

"When I was in New York, there wasn't one person that I [talked] to that didn't have a connection, somebody that passed away. It's just sad," he said.