Riding Two Wheels As One

     At last year's EMS EXPO, I made a promise to a group of very dedicated individuals that I would join them on this year's EMS Memorial Bike Ride. While my initial excitement at participating in such an important event was somewhat dampened after I saw the recommended training schedule for the ride, after several months of hard wheeling around Wisconsin, I flew into Lexington, KY, where the Kentucky route of the EMS Memorial Bike Ride departed on May 18.

     The first day of riding started out cold and rainy, but spirits were high. The culmination of a couple of months of preparation made everyone anxious to get on their bikes and ride, but after 90 miles of mostly hills and a record five flat tires, you started asking yourself, "Why am I doing this?"

     And then the answer came—first in the form of a police car, then an ambulance, then a fire truck, and finally, Christa's mother.

     Christa Burchett, a 33-year-old EMS director and assistant fire chief of Paintsville, KY, was killed on January 22, 2008, after a vehicle lost control on icy roads and struck Christa while she was loading a patient into an ambulance just outside of town.

     With lights ablaze and sirens blaring in front and in back of the bike riders, we passed by the scene of the fatal accident where the skid marks still pointed to Christa's last moments.

     As we rode into the small community of 5,000 residents, it seemed like the whole town had turned out in support for Christa along the parade route leading to the station. Even the hospital staff, in uniforms and scrubs, stood along the street and waved (probably recently back from dropping off goody bags in our hotel rooms, as we found out later).

     What a humbling and moving tribute to Christa and her life of service to others. It's no wonder her 14-year-old daughter considers her mom to be her hero and why the department nicknamed Christa "Hero" for the many times she risked her life to help others.

     In some small way, this town's welcome was a testimony to all those (both living and gone) who have answered the call to serve friends, neighbors and strangers through working and volunteering in EMS.

     The ride culminated in Salem, VA. From there, more than 70 riders from the Kentucky and New York routes of the Memorial Bike Ride peddled into Roanoke, VA, where they would attend the National EMS Memorial Service the next day (for more on the service, see page 28).

     Next year, you too may want to participate in the EMS Memorial Bike Ride and represent someone who made the ultimate sacrifice. For more information, go to www.muddyangels.com.