A firefighter bike ride raising funds for fallen firefighters made a pit stop in Belleville on Thursday.
Its the second day of the 7th annual Celtic Memorial Fire Ride with the cyclists stopping at Belleville Fire Station No. 1. Belleville Fire provided food and beverages for the firefighters for their lunch.
The ride is organized by the Toronto Professional Firefighter Celtic Society and consists of 74 firefighters from across Canada cycling from Hamilton to Ottawa, the highest number of firefighters taking part since the ride began.
The ride is 575 kilometres and takes over three days to complete.
Ride coordinator and Operations Captain with Toronto Fire, David Cossett, says the cyclists have been braving the heat during the ride.
“Yesterday was incredibly hot,” Cossett tells Quinte News.
“Leaving from Hamilton and going through Toronto and into the east part of the GTA. Today’s not so bad, but it’s still pretty hot today.”
Lunch provided by Belleville Fire at Belleville Fire Station No.1 for firefighters taking part in the Celtic Memorial Fire Ride. September 7, 2023. (Photo: Zach McGibbon/Quinte News)
The journey culminates at the National Firefighters Memorial in Ottawa on September 10.
For Cossett, this year’s ride to the memorial is personal for him.
“So there’s 88 names being recognized this year. Nine of them are from Toronto, and I personally worked with three of those members,” Cossett tells Quinte News.
“One of them actually lived very close to me and his daughter babysat for me when my kids were young, so it’s really close to me this year.”
One of the other riders is Marie-Ève Julien, a firefighter with Ottawa Fire.
She says being able to complete the ride, especially in the heat, is a mental game.
“It’s about managing your hydration needs and replenishing your electrolytes,” Julien tells Quinte News.
“It’s tough for a lot of people and that heat was so heavy yesterday, but everybody today feels good. Everybody’s got good motivation and I think the weather is on our side so we can see everybody’s pumped to ride today.”
Julien has taken part in the ride for the last three years. She says the ride means a lot to her as a firefighter.
“(There’s) the risk of the job, either from cancer, professional disease, or even tragic accidents on the job,” Julien said.
“My husband is a firefighter … we do it for the families and trying to honour our fallen brothers and sisters.”
Before leaving for their next stop in Napanee, Cossett told the cyclists that Belleville Fire would be making a donation to the ride.
The group has raised over $300,000 for the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation since the first bike ride and have a goal of $100,000 for this year’s ride.
Those who are interested in making a donation can do so at the Celtic Ride’s website.
74 firefighters taking part in the Celtic Memorial Fire Ride which travels from Hamilton to Ottawa. September 7, 2023. (Photo: Zach McGibbon/Quinte News)
