Paramedic to Discuss Attacks

A New York City Fire Department paramedic who aided in Sept. 11 emergency relief efforts will speak at a pair of commemorative forums this week in Ventura County.

The forums will be hosted by the national Cops ‘n’ Jocks mentoring program based in Santa Paula.

Stephen Ceraulo, 33, will speak Wednesday at Oxnard High School and Thursday at Moorpark High School. Both events are free, open to the public and begin at 7 p.m.

The forums--part of the Cops ‘n’ Jocks awareness project “Together, We Can All Make a Difference”--were conceived by the program’s high school student governors.

The programs will open with a video montage set to music, with photo images of the hundreds of law enforcement and fire department personnel who died in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks last year. “It’s going to be pretty emotional,” said Cops ‘n’ Jocks founder Rich Randolph, 29, a reserve officer with the Santa Paula Police Department.

A retrospective of the 9-year-old mentoring program will be presented before Ceraulo shares his observations from Sept 11. “Stephen told me that what we all saw on TV was nothing compared to what he and others actually experienced,” Randolph said.

Ceraulo also helped with funeral arrangements and family notifications for many of the victims. He continues to work full time out of the New York mayor’s office, handling similar support duties, Randolph said.

“He will talk about his own experiences on that day and what followed,” Randolph said. He said the paramedic’s presentation will include the positive experiences he has seen since the attacks, such as the outpouring of support in New York City and around the country.

Ceraulo will take questions from the audience.

He also is scheduled to visit elementary and high schools in Camarillo, Oak Park and Santa Paula.

Since 1991, Cops ‘n’ Jocks, an award-winning crime-prevention program that works with high school athletes in seven states, has matched officers with school teams to build relationships between teens and law enforcement.