Dispatches From the Road: 2011 National EMS Memorial Bike Ride

May 14

Yes it's that time again. It's EMS week, and the National EMS Bike Ride (NEMSBR) is in full swing.

Once again, as in years past, there are two rides going on at the same time. More than 80 riders left Boston this morning, and one rider left Paintsville, Kentucky.

I chose to do the Kentucky ride.

Paintsville has been the starting point for the past four years. The start site was chosen by ride organizer Brian Kimberlin after Crista Birchurt, a friend of Brian's and a co-worker of his wife Heather, lost her life in the line of duty.

Christa was on duty one winter night when a car hit black ice and slid off the highway outside of town. There was minor damage to the car and no injuries, but the driver was six months pregnant, so EMS was called to check her out and make sure she and baby were alright. On scene, Christa helped the driver up the bank, and, as they were making their way to the ambulance, a tractor trailer slid on the ice and struck both Christa and the driver of the car. The driver was killed instantly; Christa had multi-system trauma and died in the emergency room. That incident still weighs heavily on members of the Paintsville EMS squad.

This year, I'm riding for two people from New Hampshire and wearing their dog tags in remembrance. After the ride, I will present their families with the dog tags.

One of the people is Harold Frey, a paramedic from Sandown Fire Department, who succumbed to a heart attack while on cold water ice rescue training.

The second person I'm riding for is Robert "Bob" Mckenny. Bob and I served for many years on the same department and ran numerous calls together. Bob passed away from complications of cancer this past Christmas Eve with family by his side.

Bob was a gentle man who had a very caring nature with his patients. He always had a smile on his face and a joke to tell. His death bothered me because he was four years younger than I am, and he was active and appeared to be in good health. The cancer suddenly appeared and progressed rapidly. Bob will be missed, not only by his family, but by many others. Including me.

The reports that I received on the Boston ride is that everything went well, with good weather and easy riding out of Boston down into Rhode Island. Rest stops were well stocked, and I heard that dinner was excellent.

There was a ceremony in Boston for Jonathan Lindsey, a young EMT who worked for Cataldo Ambulance. His parents attended the ceremony and were presented with his dog tags.

Tomorrow, both rides move on, hoping for fair skies, mild temperatures and safe travel for all.

May 15

I spent the night in Norton, VA, and had dinner with the on-duty crew from Norton Rescue. You know what happens when you try to get together with an on duty crew: they got called out for an accident. We were at a seafood/chicken/BBQ place and Ricky Cox, the crew leader had a chicken tender plate that must have had three pounds of chicken on it. I had a fantastic BBQ sampler with pulled pork, spare ribs and chicken. After a hard day of riding, it was delicious.

We made a stop in Neon, KY, yesterday at Neon Fire and Rescue. They had a line of duty death two weeks ago that we just found out about that day. Lt. Mike Webb FF/EMT had worked an ATV rescue, went home and suffered a massive heart attack and died. Mike was a friend of my support driver, Brian, and a close friend of Everett Duncan, who is also on Norton Fire and Rescue and a friend of Brian's. We spent some time talking with Everett. The event is still fresh in his mind, and he is still dealing with it. Brian and I both hope our time with him gave him some solace.