Like many defining moments in our history, I remember exactly where I was when the planes hit the towers. That awful morning I realized I was witnessing history, but I had little conception of just how much that day would change my world as a local emergency management official.

Today, 10 years later, it’s natural to ask what has changed in American life since we witnessed the attacks on multiple targets on American soil. Have we become more secure? Or is America much like it was on Sept. 10, 2001: a terribly vulnerable place?

Remember that in 2001, terrorism was not new in America. Al-Qaida was the same group that attempted to blow up the World Trade Center in 1993. The United States was under quiet attack for many years and, except for a few intelligence officials, most of us were unaware of it or too brash with patriotism to imagine it could happen here. We worried more about isolated domestic terrorism incidents like the Columbine or Oklahoma City tragedies. But because of the size and scale of the attacks on 9/11, everything changed — particularly the way individuals and governments viewed personal rights and responsibilities and their relation to public safety and homeland security.

For many Americans, except for time-consuming, sometimes invasive airport screenings, our day-to-day lives have seen relatively minor changes from enhanced homeland security. Restricted access to public buildings, metal detectors and physical security measures in government buildings, bag checks at sporting events and an explosion in the number of security cameras have all become accepted parts of life.

But for those of us in the emergency management and first responder communities, 9/11 gave a whole new meaning to what preparedness means and what we as governments and individuals can do to protect ourselves. Today’s homeland security protocols bear little resemblance to your community’s pre-9/11 efforts that primarily focused on natural disasters like tornados and floods.

After 9/11, the federal government made changes structurally, establishing the Department of Homeland Security to streamline information sharing and response capabilities. Federal intelligence efforts were stepped up to try to prevent another such incident. The controversial Patriot Act allowed the government more latitude when investigating alleged criminals, a move that led to protests of infringement on personal freedoms. Gun control laws were stiffened, airport screenings intensified and we all became versed with a color-coded warning system that, frankly, never returned to green and now has been replaced with a more practical system.

A good example of how we have progressed in a post-9/11 world is the Waco Fire Department’s CBRNE Team. Ten years ago, we developed and practiced plans to respond to hazardous materials spills on major highways or at local manufacturing plants. Today our firefighters are equipped and trained to respond to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) incidents.

Preparedness exercises changed as well. In 2009 our office orchestrated a full-scale exercise in McLennan County that involved more than 800 participants from local, state and federal agencies responding to a simulated, terrorist-initiated dirty bomb explosion. Since 9/11, local governments have developed new plans to respond to terrorist threats and attacks separate from all the other plans we do. We have practiced these plans and are prepared to respond if the time comes.

But the biggest lesson to be learned from 9/11 is that we cannot rely on the government alone to protect us or to save us from every potential threat. The 9/11 attacks were an extreme event that the victims could neither have foreseen nor prevented. On a daily basis, however, the events of 9/11 should awaken every American to the need for personal vigilance and preparedness, much like civil defense lessons taught years ago.

Cold War-era families were encouraged to create disaster supply kits and short-term survival plans for their households. American school children were taught to “duck and cover” in the event of what seemed to be the very real threat of a nuclear attack. While such an exercise seems almost comical in light of today’s threats, therein lies a good lesson: Protect yourself. Have a plan. Practice it. Today we give the same advice.

Our goal in emergency management is for the community as a whole to participate in communitywide preparedness efforts, including becoming involved in the many volunteer opportunities that exist under the Citizens Corps program, including Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Volunteers in Policing, Medical Reserve Corps and Fire Corps. Each of us can do our part in this effort.

We pray we will never again witness another tragedy like Sept. 11, 2001, but we also realize that the world has changed dramatically. We pray for the best, but we have also planned and prepared for the worst.

Frank Patterson has more than 25 years’ experience in the emergency response and homeland security fields and has served as emergency management coordinator for the city of Waco and McLennan County since 1999. He is responsible for emergency operation plans for all incorporated and unincorporated areas in McLennan County.