Fifth Annual Firefighters Memorial Ride

Fifth Annual Firefighters Memorial Ride

Posted by Cassie Nist - email

CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - The fifth Annual Firefighters Memorial Ride ("FFMR") will take place on Sunday May 31, 2009. It is anticipated that the police escorted processional ride to honor Fallen Firefighters, who have given their lives in the line of duty, will involve an estimated 1200 attendees and in excess of 800 motorcycles.

The motorcycles will stage on Alfred Lerner Way beginning at 9:00 AM. This year, in excess of eight hundred firefighters, EMS and fellow motorcyclist have pre-registered in advance of the Ride and received a free 2009 FFMR tee shirt. Anyone who has not registered may still register the morning of the Ride. The cost to Ride is a donation of $20 and includes food and entertainment at Western Reserve Harley Davidson, the ending location for the forty five mile processional Ride. Additional 2009 FFMR Tee shirts will be available for purchase at the beginning of the Ride.

Jim Mantel of WGAR will MC the 10:30 AM Ceremony which is held at the Cleveland Firefighters Memorial located across from the Browns Stadium. Monica Robins of WKYC will sing the National Anthem. This year the Firefighters Memorial Ride will be recognizing the five winners of $2000 College Scholarships from the six county areas of Firefighter and EMS families.

 The winners are:

Allison Zwegat of Willoughby whose father is Fire Chief Alan Zwegat of Willoughby

Heather Helsel of Concord, whose father is Chief Daniel Helsel of Wickliffe

Rachelle H. Haynik of Brooklyn, whose father is Battalion Chief Rusty Haynik CFD

Sara Thomas of Parma, whose father is Captain James Thomas CFD

Sean Stefancin of Cleveland, whose father is Captain Dan Stefancin of CFD

Additionally, the Firefighters Memorial Ceremony will recognize the following four Ohio Firefighters who lost their lives during the past year:

Gary L. Studer of Whitehouse Fire Department in Whitehouse Ohio

Richard L. Kear of Pitt Township Volunteer Fire Department in Harpster, Ohio

Greg Northup of Gallipolis Fire Department in Gallipolis Ohio

Michael J. Darrington of Toledo Fire and Rescue Toledo Ohio

The FFMR will make a donation of $1000 to each of the four families of Ohio's Fallen Firefighters.

The Processional Ride will begin at 11:00 AM and will pass Fire Departments in Cleveland, East Cleveland, South Euclid, Lyndhurst, Mayfield Ht's, Mayfield Village, Willoughby Hills, Willoughby, Eastlake, Mentor of the Lake and Mentor.

 It anticipated the Ride will conclude at Western Reserve Harley Davidson in Mentor at 12:35 PM. Western Reserve is one of the major sponsor's of this year's FFMR and will be donating food and entertainment at the dealership from 12:30 until 3:00 PM.

Other FFMR sponsors include the Cleveland Browns and the Firefighters Community Credit Union.

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