News File Photo Presque Isle County Airport Manager Al Stiller takes care of a Beechcraft King Air twin engine plane at the Rogers City Airport in this 2019 file photo.

ALPENA — Local airports and fire departments still benefit from initiatives implemented after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

After the attacks using hijacked commercial planes on New York and Washington and the thwarted attempt that ended in Pennsylvania, many people suddenly realized despite the military and intelligence power of the United States, the nation was vulnerable to planned attacks, officials said.

About 3,000 people died in the attacks.

One of the most prominent moves the federal government made was the creation of the Transportation Security Administration, a new government agency empowered to oversee international and domestic air travel and lead the screening and security at airports.

After 9/11, what passengers are allowed to do at and take into airports and on flights has changed significantly, Steve Smigelski, manager at the Alpena County Regional Airport, said. He said the list of items not allowed on planes has grown substantially, and the vetting of passengers and contents of their luggage is much more thorough.

“I remember when you could take a pocketknife on the plane, but now you can’t even take a pair of nail clippers because they could be used as a weapon,” he said. “It is a totally different world.”

As technology advances, Smigelski said, he anticipates the screening process will become more advanced and more efficient, but he doesn’t see it becoming more intrusive.

A little over the year after the terror attack, the federal government established the Department of Homeland Security, which united several agencies under one umbrella dedicated to protecting U.S. territory.

After the attacks, the Federal Emergency Management Agency began issuing many millions in grants to police and fire departments around the country to help bolster their equipment, technology, and training.

Alpena Fire Chief Bill Forbush, who has been a firefighter for 40 years, said fire departments continue to receive money from FEMA to upgrade their departments and provide the best training to handle most every emergency.

“Just this year, we purchased a new, $50,000 air-compressor,” he said. “We have needed one for many years, and the grant allowed us to replace it. The FEMA grants we still receive today are directly tied to 9/11.”

Forbush said the grant nearly covered the entire cost of the new equipment that would have been a blow to the budget if the city had to pay for it in its entirety.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.