Firefighter is engine behind equipment

Longboat Key firefighter/paramedic Jim Reynolds oversaw the design of the department’s latest engine bumper-to-bumper — right down to the apparatus’ cabinets and hose nozzles. When he isn’t responding to emergency calls, you can find him at the fire stations, researching and working on the department’s water-rescue equipment and making sure firefighter air packs are up-to-date.

“The job is such an ever-changing and ever-evolving industry,” Reynolds said. “I enjoy keeping up with it and researching equipment because it ultimately helps us to do our jobs better.”

Reynolds’ reputation as the go-to guy for equipment is one thing that earned him the title of “Firefighter of the Year,” according to Longboat Key Fire Rescue Chief Paul Dezzi. The department honored Reynolds with the award in December, and Reynolds will be honored as the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key Firefighter of the Year in February.

“Jim brings a lot of street knowledge to the department,” Dezzi said. “And he’s always willing to help out.”

Reynolds, 38, has been a firefighter for the past 16 years and has worked for the Longboat Key department since 2007. He didn’t plan on becoming a firefighter. He initially thought he would become a sound engineer while possibly pursuing firefighting on a volunteer basis. But when sound-engineering school looked unlikely because of a long wait list, Reynolds began to consider firefighting as a career. He enrolled in a firefighting academy and began his career with the Bradenton Fire Department, where he worked for 12 years before joining Longboat Key Fire Rescue.

Today, Reynolds is also part of an urban search-and-rescue team made up of firefighters from Manatee County agencies. According to Dezzi, Reynolds also helps the Longboat Key department with training exercises, including one planned for next month involving extracting a patient from a car.

In his spare time, he enjoys attending his children’s sporting events and serving as a youth leader at The Bridge Church in Bradenton.

Reynolds enjoys being a firefighter because he gets to help people — and because no two days are ever the same.

“The unknown aspect of our job is one thing I like,” he said. “I’m not the kind of guy who could sit behind a desk every day.”

BIO
Firefighter/paramedic Jim Reynolds
Age: 38
Home: Bradenton
Family: Wife of 17 years, Jennifer; son, Hunter, 11; daughter, Aidyn, 7

Departmental honors
Officer of the Year: Deputy Chief Sandi Drake
Longboat Key Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Sandi Drake is the department’s “Officer of the Year.” According to Fire Chief Paul Dezzi, Drake has been in the department for more than 10 years and is in charge of a tactical program, in which firefighters conduct walk-throughs of buildings on the island to gain familiarity with the sites. Drake is the first woman in the department’s history to earn the rank of deputy chief.

Chief’s Award: Volunteer President Jorge Alvarez
Jorge Alvarez is a retired Palm Beach County fire captain who donates his time to Longboat Key Fire Rescue in addition to working as chief engineer at the Lido Beach Resort. Alvarez conducts CPR classes for the town and also oversees points of distribution in cases of hurricanes or natural disasters.