Wayland Patch 9/8/11: Wayland's Emergency Response Forever Altered By Sept. 11 Attacks. Sept. 11, 2001, changed the way so many of us travel, think about privacy, and teach history to our children. But for emergency responders across the country, it shook the very foundations of how they do their daily work. With 9/11 came an awareness among emergency responders that attacks could happen on American soil, and along with that awareness came a rethinking of preparedness and response. “The mission changed,” said Wayland Fire Chief Robert Loomer, who was serving as a fire captain in Maynard, Mass., at the time of the attacks. “People now think of us as first responders. When it’s terrorism, when it’s on your own soil, who’s going to show up first? Cops and firefighters.”