UC Faculty Member Assists Rescuers in New York

Patrick Reynolds, director of the University of Cincinnati Open Learning Fire Service Program at the College of Applied Science, missed the start of classes this quarter to volunteer with the emergency operations center in New York City. Reynolds worked with the counseling unit at the center, constructing response teams to send to fire stations that suffered the heaviest losses of personnel from the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Reynolds is a native New Yorker and served as a lieutenant for the New York City Fire Department. His career with the department stretched from 1973-1993. Reynolds was deputy chief of the Suffolk County Fire Academy from 1983-1994. He joined the faculty of the University of Cincinnati in 1994.

"I couldn't just sit at home. I'm a native New Yorker, born and bred, and I lost a lot of friends. I didn't realize how many." Reynolds says at least 15 of his friends are included in the death toll. He drove to New York from Greater Cincinnati Sept. 18 and returned home Sept. 24.

Reynolds says he helped to construct three-member teams that involve a fire department representative (either active or retired), a cleric, priest or rabbi, and a counselor specializing in stress management. He says the teams visited firehouses, providing a list of available services, as well as informing them about the signs and symptoms of depression. "Also, we gave them cell phones, because much of the city is still without phone service."

"He's a very generous, hardworking guy," says Richard Newrock, interim dean, College of Applied Science. "He's a very dedicated faculty member, spends a lot of time on his teaching and worrying about the college, and he is always interested in building and improving his programs, moving them into new directions."

Newrock says Reynolds approached him last week about taking some time off to volunteer in New York. "He was a fireman in New York for 20 years, and a lot of firefighters and police officers who were killed were his friends. He felt he had to go and help.

"He brought a lot of gear with him, especially fireman's boots. The New York City department had a shortage of boots and Patrick said that he was able to obtain a lot of extra boots from the Covington Fire Department."