EMS Memorial Bike Ride 2006 Begins

The 2006 EMS Memorial Bike Ride began Sunday, May 21 in New York City. The riders are traveling a six day, six hundred mile course to attend the National EMS Memorial Service in Roanoke, Virginia on May 27.

The group is riding to honor the memory of those EMS professionals being inducted at the memorial service, as well as in support of the "To The Rescue" Museum, which has been temporarily closed.

Although the riders got a bit scrambled while traveling in New Jersey, things have quieted down, said Dave Gilbert, one of the organizers. "We have 20 riders and six support vehicles. Things are going pretty well."

At 3:30 p.m. Monday, the riders were just entering Philadelphia. "They've been going about 15 mph, and that's been pushing it."

Gilbert said the riders include EMS providers as well as an ER physician and an ER nurse. While some have street bikes, others are riding hybrids.

NAEMT Board member Jennifer Frenette is participating in the EMS Memorial Bike Ride this week. Her first post on the NAEMT web site begins, "We started out at 8 am with 18 riders from New York, Virginia, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts. We had a nice day weather-wise, and three NYFD captains sent us on our way. One of them, a chaplain, blessed us, our bikes and the journey."

To read more from Jennifer visit www.naemt.org.

The EMS Memorial Bike Ride was created by Boston EMS EMT Jamie Orsino in 2001 to raise awareness for the National EMS Memorial and the National EMS Memorial Service, held each May in Roanoke.

The tentative itinerary published on the EMS Bike Ride web site is as follows:

• Day 1, Sunday, May 21, 2006: Ride begins at FDNY Academy Fort Totten, NY - Ride to Hillsboro, NJ.
• Day 2, Monday, May 22, 2006: Ride from Hillsboro, NJ to Philadelphia, PA.
• Day 3, Tuesday, May 23, 2006: Ride from Philadelphia, PA to Baltimore, MD.
• Day 4, Wednesday, May 24, 2006: Travel to the Pentagon, Washington, DC - Ride to Woodstock, VA.
• Day 5, Thursday, May 25, 2006: Ride from Woodstock, VA to Staunton, VA.
• Day 6, Friday, May 26, 2006: Ride from Staunton, VA to Roanoke, VA.
• Day 7, Saturday, May 27, 2006: Attend National EMS Memorial Service.

Since they were unable to obtain a police escort in Maryland, the bikes will be transported by truck on Wednesday morning to the Pentagon, Gilbert said.