The Brotherhood Ride 2012 – Florida’s Fallen Heroes

The Brotherhood Ride 2012 – Florida’s Fallen Heroes
On June 3rd, The Brotherhood Ride will be leaving Naples, FL on their BICYCLES to start their 8 day trek around Florida, to honor 11 Emergency Responders who died in the line of duty in 2011. The Ride will take them to Miami, then up the East Coast and over to Central Florida before ending in St. Petersburg on June 10th.

The Brotherhood Ride is a group of Firefighters and Police Officers who ride BICYCLES to honor emergency responders who died in the line of duty. To donate or for more information, you can visit www.brotherhoodride.com Proceeds from the 2012 ride will benefit the families of Florida’s Fallen Heroes.

Day 10 – Heading Home

We woke at 7am to the wonderful smell of breakfast being cooked by the elks.  Even though the last nine days we had been on our bikes all the riders seemed sad not to be riding today.  By 7:30am our bus driver Jim from Dolphin Transportation was waiting for us at the Elks.  All equipment and bikes were loaded up for the trip home.  We then thanked the Elks lodge for all their hospitality.  And in return they thanked us for all we had done for the families, the firefighters and the city of Charleston.

No good-byes were said, just “see you soon” as our new brothers from Houston, TX headed home.  Some riders were greeted by their families when they arrived in Charleston and either headed home last night or early this morning.  The rest then boarded the bus and Candy and myself followed behind as we headed back to Naples.

Thank you to everyone for making our first annual ride a huge success!

-Jeff Morse

Day 9 Dedicated to Brandon Thomson

Today is only a 48 mile journey.  The team had decided to sleep an extra hour which means we were up at 7am.  The Elks provided us with a delicious breakfast as usual.  Unfortunately, this extra hour of sleep seemed to make us go slower while getting ready for the ride.  We had hoped to leave by 9:00 am but we were not on the road until 9:30.  All riders were excited about finishing the ride but we knew it would be an emotional one.

The morning dedication was for Brandon Thomson.  We had the honor of his parents being present during the dedication.  The Thomsons presented the Brotherhood Ride with several memorial items.  All riders and support team departed the wonderful elks lodge with chants of “God Bless the Elks”.  Every rider has expressed how amazed they are with all the Elks Lodges’ hospitality towards the team.

We received both police and fire escorts out of Walterboro.  Once we were out of Walterboro, the South Carolina State Police provided the police escort to Charleston.  Road surfaces were rougher than we were used to riding on.  Some had holes that we swore would have swallowed up a bike.  The team again used every safety precaution and good communication among each other to avoid any accidents.

Before leaving the Elks lodge the team had decided to ride a slow easy pace of 15 miles per hour.  Once we began the ride everyone felt so good and was anxious to reach Charleston most of the time our speeds reached 20 to 22 mph.  We also had a strong tail wind which helped with the speeds.  Everone in the pace line felt it was Brandon pushing us closer to his brothers in Charleston.

As we were closer to Charleston, we were met by the County Fire Ladder Truck which joined the escort.  Upon reaching the Charleston city line we were met by two battalion vehicles, a ladder truck, an engine and a rescue from the city of Charleston.  All apparatus escorted us to the site of the fire.

The riders and the members of the Charleston fire department were able to meet each other for the first time.  Although we had not met the firefighters before within minutes we were brothers.  We shared stories about the ride, they shared stories about the men we had been riding for for the last nine days.  Each rider payed their respects to the fallen heroes in their own way.

We were then escorted to the Charleston Elks lodge were we received a warm welcome from the community.  A stage had been set up for the riders and support team.  We were presented with some memorial items by the Exalted Ruler of the Charleston Elks, Richard Wetherington.

Bonita Springs Elks lodge Exalted Ruler, Dick Cooke, also welcomed the riders and thanked them for their commitment to the families.  I present the Exalted Ruler fro the Charleston Lodge with a thank you plaque for all that the Elks Lodge has done for us.

We then privately met with the families of the Charleston 9.  Eight families of the fallen firefighters were presented with a memorial picture of their loved ones signed by all riders and support team.  They were also presented with a CD and lyrics of a song sung Shawna DiAngleow which she dedicated to the Charleston 9.

The Brotherhood Ride was then able to present a check for $35,000.00 to the families.  All the family members commented how proud and comforted by the Brotherhood Ride.  After spending time with the families, we joined the families, community, and Charleston firefighters for a fantastic steak and chicken dinner.

Once all riders had showered and most of the crowd had left for the evening we were able to relax once again.  We were treated by the Elks lodge to an open bar.  Several riders even participated in karaoke with Zack still rock’n the house.  The Elks then opened up their bowling alley for the team to use.  We then played our last late night Frisbee game and then finally went to sleep.

Day 8 is Dedicated to Firefighter Earl Drayton

Day 8 started off early as the Elks volunteers decided to wake us up at 5:45am for our breakfast.  We were treated to a wonderful breakfast.  We were escorted out of the city by Savannah Police department.

After approximately 8 miles into the ride we turned a corner and realized we were on the on ramp to the bridge they talked about last night.  The bridge proved to be a challenge but all riders were able to complete it.  Even thought Lucky had a flat tire halfway up the bridge, thanks to Clint’s fast work, Lucky was able to complete the bridge also. 

At the bottom of the bridge was the South Carolina State border.  We were all surprised to see three South Carolina State Trooper vehicles waiting for us.  These guys were awesome and protected us for the rest of the day. 

Our support staff, led by Zack Jones, has been invaluable by finding us adequate shady rest stops every 15 miles.   Today was an 84 mile day which meant we would be riding into the afternoon heat.  It was a surprise to us that this was the longest mileage day of the trip.

Upon our arrival in Walterboro we were given an escort by the police and fire.  The fire department provided several pieces of apparatus for the escort.

We arrived at the Lodge and were greeted by the Exalted Ruler and gave the thank you plaque to the Lodge.  We were then met by the parents of Firefighter Brandon Thomson who died in the line of duty at the fire in Charleston.  The Thomsons met with all of the riders and thanked them for their help in the Brotherhood Ride.  It was an emotional time for the riders and the Thomsons   

We then turned in for a good sleep in anticipation of our last day of riding.

Day seven – Dedicated to Firefighter Melvin Champaign

We started off with a 8:00 departure from Brunswick.  We were provided with police and fire escort out of brunswick.  we were blessed with an overcast day which made our speeds faster.  The support staff has been excellent with providing us with rest stops and plenty of food and water.  Upon our arrival in Savannah, we were staged at city of Savannah fire station.  Brother firefighters from the city of Savannah did not only open their firehouse to us but, also opened their union locker to us.  All riders were given a city of Savannah IAFF t-shirt.

Prior to reaching the fire station we passed the 500 mile mark of our trip.  While waiting at the fire station I contacted the Dave Elliot radio show to provide an update.  Mr. Elliot suggest upon or return to Naples he would like to have a contest to see which rider had the tightest butt.  We were hesitant to accept the offer until he advised Hooters girls would be doing the judging. 

Stay tuned for results of the judging!

After the interview we were escorted by the city of Savannah fire and police units to the Savannah Elks Lodge.  At the Lodge we presented the Brotherhood Ride appreciation plaque to the Exalted Ruler.  Many of the riders then took a refreshing break in the Elks pool.

We then got ready for a good nights sleep but were informed of a large bridge we had to cross before exiting Savannah the next day.  Most of the riders felt confident with their riding ability and already having crossed the Brundswick bridge, we would be able to concur this bridge as well.

We then turned in for a good night sleep.

Day 6 is Dedicated to Assistant Engineer Mike French

We left the lodge at 8 a.m. and rode out of Jacksonville with an escort.  We were glad to have the escort.  The Jacksonville Police Department kept all the riders safe.  Eventually, the escort was transferred to Nassau County Sheriff’s Office.  The ride was flat and fast.  All riders felt strong during the day.  Our estimated mileage was 60 miles but the total mileage turned out to be 84 miles.  This came to be a surprise to most of the riders but we focused on what we were riding for and completed the mileage.

The last obstacle that the Brotherhood Ride faces for the day was the Jekyll Island bridge.  During every stop of the day all local firefighters commented on how high the bridge was going to be.  While riding towards the bridge it appeared huge!  We were later told it was 200 feet in elevation and approximately 2 miles long.  As the Brotherhood Ride approached the bridge we were met with a strong head wind and light rain.  All 19 riders reached the top of the bridge.  Most of the firefighters needed every ounce of determination and dedication to reach the top of the bridge.

At the bottom of the bridge we were met by Brunswick firefighters who congratulated us on completing the bridge.  They then escorted the Brotherhood Ride into the city and to the Elks Lodge.

At the Lodge we were greeted by Exalted Ruler T. J. Williams and the Mayor of the city.  The Mayor presented the Brotherhood Ride with the key to the city.  The Exalted Ruler presented us with a donation from the Lodge and in return we presented a Thank You plaque to the Elks Lodge.

All the riders still feel strong.  Every time we stop and meet with our brother firefighters and police officers along the route our resolve is renewed making us stronger for the next day.

Day 5 is Dedicated to Engineer Brad Baity

We were escorted out of Palatka by both the police and sheriff’s department.  The word up and down the pace line for today was “hump day”.  We all knew that at the end of today we would be past the half way mark for the ride. 

The ride was a flat and easy ride.  Although we did sixty plus miles all the riders were remarking how well they felt.  We were hosted at the Jacksonville IAFF Union Hall until it was time to be escorted to the Jacksonville Elks Lodge.  We had the honor of a Jacksonville firefighter and also a Jacksonville city councilman joining us in the ride to the Elks Lodge. 

 The last eight mile stretch into the elks lodge proved to be the most challenging of the ride.  We were in rush hour traffic and had lost our police escort for the day.  It was obvious the brotherhood ride had become a team of brothers.  We were able to watch each others back and safely guide our way closer to the lodge.  Jacksonville fire came to our rescue by providing an engine escort.

Upon arrival at the elks lodge we were presented with a proclamation honoring the Brotherhood Ride.  We were officially welcomed by the Exalted Ruler of the Elks Lodge.  A thank you plaque was presented to the Exalted Ruler for everything the Elks Lodge has done for the brotherhood ride.