“E Pluribus Unum”
(Out of Many, One)
THE UNITED STATES FIRE DEPARTMENT RESERVE CORPS
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES COMMAND
«Like a Phoenix Rising from
the Ashes»
“E Pluribus Unum”
(Out of Many, One)
THE UNITED STATES FIRE DEPARTMENT RESERVE CORPS
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES COMMAND
«Like a Phoenix Rising from
the Ashes»
National Corporation Office | 4700 Millenia Blvd. | Suite 175
Orlando, FL 32839 – 6015
The USFDRC unites communities through compassion and innovation, fostering resilience and well-being among those who serve. It is a model of modern volunteerism and public safety, ensuring that those who protect others are not left to face their challenges alone. We stand as a beacon of support and innovation, exemplifying service that extends beyond duty, inspiring both those it serves and the communities it protects.
The USFDRC emphasizes charitable, humanitarian, educational, and public safety efforts, acting as a supplemental force to fire departments across the United States and its territories. The organization embodies a holistic approach to service, ensuring both the physical and mental well-being of those in high-stress public safety roles.
Our steadfast bond with the courageous men and women of law enforcement and the military was profoundly solidified in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. In times of both crisis and peace, their unwavering dedication to service continues to inspire our mission.
The heroism displayed on 9/11 and the sacrifices that followed remind us of the strength, resilience, and unity that define their call to duty. Together, we honor their sacrifices and ensure their families and communities feel the full measure of our collective support, standing as one nation dedicated to those who protect and serve.
Their commitment to protecting and serving others fuels our resolve to stand by them, offering solidarity, resources, and gratitude for their enduring contributions to our nation’s safety and resilience
The origins of The United States Fire Department Reserve Corps date to September 11, 2001, when at approximately 8:46 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Then, 17 minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767 United Airlines Flight 175 appeared out of the sky, turned sharply toward the World Trade Center, and sliced into the south tower at about the 60th floor. The World Trade Center collapsed in a massive cloud of dust and smoke. Close to 3,000 people died in the World Trade Center and its vicinity, including a staggering 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York City police officers, and 37 Port Authority police officers who were struggling to complete an evacuation of the buildings and save the office workers trapped on higher floors. Only six people in the World Trade Center towers at the time of their collapse survived. Almost 10,000 other people were treated for injuries, many severe.
As millions watched in horror the events unfolding in New York, American Airlines Flight 77 circled over downtown Washington, D.C., and slammed into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters at 9:37 a.m. Jet fuel from the Boeing 757 caused a devastating inferno that led to a structural collapse of a portion of the giant concrete building. All told, 125 military personnel and civilians were killed in the Pentagon, along with all 64 people aboard the airliner.
Meanwhile, a fourth California-bound plane United Flight 93 was hijacked about 40 minutes after leaving Newark International Airport in New Jersey. Because the plane had been delayed in taking off, passengers on board learned of events in New York and Washington via cell phone and Airphone calls to the ground. Knowing that the aircraft was not returning to an airport as the hijackers claimed, a group of passengers and flight attendants planned an insurrection. The passengers fought the four hijackers and are suspected of having attacked the cockpit with a fire extinguisher. The plane then flipped over and sped toward the ground at upwards of 500 miles per hour, crashing in a rural field in western Pennsylvania at 10:03 a.m. All 45 people aboard were killed. America was under attack.
When Mr. Carmelo Baez returned from serving as a civilian volunteer from the New Jersey Shore as the Emergency Medical Services Unified Operation Chief responsible for organizing the Interagency Incident Action Plan to receive victims and patients by boats from Manhattan and transfer them to statewide hospitals and facilities. Including his services as a civilian volunteer on September 13, 14, and 15, 2001, as a Search and Rescue Team Leader at ground zero.
