First responders from across Florida and several other states are embarking on the grueling journey.
They cycle 600 miles. They are raising money for the families of 14 Florida law enforcement officers, firefighters and paramedics who died in the line of duty last year.
To mark the start of the fundraiser on Tuesday, speakers chanted the names of fallen heroes. 50 cyclists pedal to take the oath.
“This is a gathering of people from all over the world who want to keep that promise and never forget,” said recently retired firefighter Jeff Morse.
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Beaufort, S.C./Port Royal Fire Department Ross Vezin waits on his bike for the start of the Brotherhood Ride on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. The group plans to ride just over 100 miles on the first day. The ride ends on October 29th.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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First responders from Florida, Connecticut, New York, South Carolina and Rhode Island cycle down Route 41 in Naples on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, to kick off the Brotherhood Ride honoring first responders who died in 2023. Get off at
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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A member of the Brotherhood Ride support team holds a photo of Lee County EMT James McPhee, who passed away in 2023, before the start of the ride on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. The group is planning a ride for just over 100 people. Miles on the first day. The ride ends on October 29th.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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First responders from Florida, Connecticut, New York, South Carolina and Rhode Island cycle down Route 41 in Naples on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, to kick off the Brotherhood Ride honoring first responders who died in 2023. Get off at
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
Morse co-founded an organization called Brotherhood Ride. He started this effort after nine firefighters were killed in a fire in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2007.
This year’s ride began on Tuesday, with cyclists leaving the Naples area. They bike east to Miami, then north along the coast, stopping in Orlando and Jacksonville. After eight days of travel, they arrive at Live Oak in the Panhandle. Along the way, cyclists meet the loved ones of those who gave their all.
“We’re all hot and sweaty and they wrap their arms around us,” Morse said. “There are often tears. I cry, they cry. Everyone has different reasons for doing it, but for me, if something happens at work, I want a structure. I want people to come support my wife in this way, and that’s what really drives me. ”
Each cyclist must pledge to donate at least $500. Most riders pay over $1,000 per person.
This money will be donated to people like Laney McPhee and her two Cape Coral sons.
Rainey said her husband, Jim, was exposed to toxic chemicals during and after the 2001 World Trade Center attack and tower collapse. He was working in New York at the time and headed to the tower as soon as the news broke. A September morning.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore
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WGCU
Members of the Brotherhood Ride support team hold a photo of Lee County EMT James McPhee, who passed away in 2023, before the start of the ride on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. The group is planning a ride for just over 100 people. Miles on the first day. The ride ends on October 29th.
She said he returned frequently to help clean up the debris. The family later moved to Lee County, where Jim worked as an EMT.
But Rainey said Jim’s health deteriorated after 9/11 and he was forced to retire early. Then Jim passed away last year at the age of 57.
Laney McPhee said about cyclists.
“They’re angels,” she said. “Jim sent them to Sean, Kevin and me. They helped us. It’s amazing. It’s something we’ll never forget.”
Sean and Kevin are the sons of Jim and Laney McPhee.
North Collier Fire’s Nick Kompinski, riding a motorcycle for the first time, said he keeps in mind the important idea that first responders are one family.
“It’s going to be a new feeling trying to relate to people you don’t know,” he said. “But we understand that all of us running this phone are the same and the same.”
Amanda Inscore Whittamore
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WGCU
Sanibel Deputy Chief John DiMaria departs for the Brotherhood Ride with other first responders on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, in Naples.
Throughout the trip, Elks Lodge provides cyclists with a hot meal and a place to sleep each night. Support teams ride before and after the cyclists and hand out water and snacks every 20 miles. Local police often escort riders on busy roads.
Lt. Daniel Jackson is in his fourth year with North Collier Fire. He said he is motivated by seeing his family.
“Most of the time there isn’t a dry eye in the house,” Jackson said. “It’s liberating for some people, and that’s a good thing, because we’re tough guys and tough girls. We’re going to push it all down and be strong. But then… You’ll see children running around without their mothers.” It’s hard not to get emotional now. ”
Sean McPhee, 17, said he and his father were close because they were drawn to each other over their love of soccer. Sean said he was grateful for the efforts of cyclists.
“It makes me really happy to know that these people are doing such a physically and mentally demanding job,” Sean McPhee said. “I mean, 600 miles. And they do it for people they’ve never even met.”
Brotherhood Ride hopes to raise up to $70,000 this year. The money will be distributed to the families of 13 Florida men and women who died in the line of duty last year. And an agency that trained kindergartners who died in the line of duty will also receive a portion of the funding.
WGCU is Southwest Florida’s trusted news and information source.
Mike Walcher is a reporter for WGCU News.
He also teaches journalism at Florida Gulf Coast University.
