By Mary Delach Leonard
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
Copyright 2006 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc.
All Rights Reserved 

Firefighters have always taken a can-do, all-risk approach to their job, but 9/11 magnified that attitude, said Stephen Rinehart, 47, deputy chief of training for the Maryland Heights Fire Protection District.

Rinehart spent 10 days searching for survivors at the World Trade Center with members of Missouri Task Force One, the state's federally funded urban search-and-rescue team. Although it was apparent early on that there would be few survivors, Rinehart prefers to focus on the operational knowledge task force members gained from the experience.

"We did our job," he said.

In the five years since the terrorist attacks, area firefighters have increased training for heavy rescues — such as building or trench collapses — and for handling hazardous materials, including weapons of mass destruction.

"We learned that you can't close your eyes and say it will never happen here. The potential is always here, for a natural disaster, such as a tornado or earthquake, or for domestic or international terrorism," Rinehart said.

Rinehart lost a friend at the World Trade Center. Ray Downey, a New York Fire Department battalion chief in charge of special operations, was one of 343 firefighters who died at the site. Rinehart said when he arrived at ground zero he feared that his friend might be buried in the debris since Downey was a leader in collapsed-building rescues.

"That was his expertise — he could bring order out of chaos," Rinehart said.

"The fire service is an all-risk entity," he added. "You'll never see a firefighter turn away."