Yet no one had asked Reed to come, and in a town swarming with federal and state investigators _ who had handled all the official briefings and tightly controlled updates _ a local volunteer paramedic relaying such information was a stark contrast. Reed's full-time job was at Children's Medical Center of Dallas, which confirmed Friday he had worked at the hospital as a paramedic since January. Reed was a first responder, but two days after the explosion was "let go" from West Emergency Medical Services for unknown reasons, according to an email obtained by The Associated Press sent by a regional EMS organization, the Heart of Texas Regional Advisory Council, to the state health officials. “Bryce Reed does not volunteer for West EMS,” according to the email. Department of State Health Services records show no sign of complaints or disciplinary action against Reed since he became a certified paramedic, spokeswoman Carrie Williams said, though the agency has opened a regulatory investigation of Reed, routine after an arrest. Three days after a massive explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant, Bryce Reed climbed onto a coffee table at a local hotel where displaced families picked over donated sweatshirts and pizza. An EMS student, Amanda Atkins, said Reed was an instructor for an EMS class in West. “I’m going to take a break from Facebook to reflect. ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Ramit Plushnick-Masti in Houston, Danny Robbins in Dallas and Angela K. Brown in West, Texas, contributed to this report.
– The Texas fertilizer plant blast first responder charged with possession of a "destructive device" will plead not guilty and maintains he had nothing to do with the explosion. Paramedic Bryce Reed, 31, was arrested after he allegedly gave materials for a pipe bomb—including galvanized metal pipe, a fuse, and several pounds of chemicals—to a man who then called police, the AP reports. Reed "had no involvement whatsoever in the explosion," his lawyer said in a statement. Authorities also say the charges have not been linked to the blast. But some larger questions about Reed are now emerging. Reed was "let go" from West Emergency Medical Services two days after the plant blast for unknown reasons, reports the Dallas Morning News. Despite this, he continued to act as a spokesperson about the fires in the media. His LinkedIn resume claims he holds a bachelor's degree in nursing from a school that says he was never enrolled. Neighbors say they were all given different accounts of his background. Others have accused him of profiting from the tragedy. "I have not received ONE CENT for ANYTHING that I did to help with this situation. I have not been paid by the media, by press, I ...made NOTHING off of this tragedy," he wrote in a defensive Facebook post.