Bike To Work Day Friday. Use Your Head And Wear A Helmet!

Tomorrow is Bike to Work Day. MCFRS would like to remind all of you participating in this wonderful event to Use Your Head and Wear A Helmet!

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute, helmet use has been estimated to reduce the odds of head injury by 50 percent, and the odds of head, face, or neck injury by 33 percent.

So, please enjoy Bike To Work Day safely! Our fire and rescue personnel do not wish to meet you by "accident" tomorrow!

More safety tips below from the University of Utah.

MCFRS Fire Fighter Gearing Up For World Police and Fire Games

By: Bryan Stottlemyer
Firefighter/Paramedic

It’s that time of year again when our cycling team Capital Region Fire and Police Cycling, comprised of local public safety personnel, sets its sites on our annual target events. This year we are headed for the World Police and Fire Games which, for the first time, will be held in New York City. The dates of the games are August 26 – September 5, and will coincide with a ten year 9/11 tribute at the site of the World Trade Center.

Courtesy of crfpc.com

To date, the games currently have over 18,000 competitors registered from countries around the world in 86 different events. It is the largest global summer sports competition superseded only by the Summer Olympics.

This year’s team includes personnel from Montgomery County Fire/Rescue, Alexandria Fire Dept., Alexandria Police Dept., Metropolitan Police Dept. (DC), Fredericksburg Sheriff’s Dept., and Hayward Fire Dept.

This year, similar to last year, our team has been training hard for the upcoming games. Last year, at the Can-Am Police and Fire Games, we earned a total of 12 medals throughout the cycling disciplines. This year, the team has already had a handful of top-ten finishes throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, and we’re using the remainder of our time before the games to further prepare for the steep competition that the World Games promises to bring. Our venues will include Central Park, Grant’s Tomb, Long Island, and more.

We are excited to have the opportunity to represent our team, our departments, and our country in this large event.

For those interested in learning more, and how you might help our effort, please visit www.crfpc.com for further details.

Life Off Duty: Competitive Cycling at the 2010 Can-Am Police and Fire Games

NOTE: Besides being fantastic first responders, our fire and rescue personnel have a variety of talents that go well beyond the fire station. Below is from Firefighter/Paramedic Bryan Stottlemyer who has become quite a cyclist after discovering it as part of a rehab program for shoulder surgery a couple of years ago. Read on and learn what one of our own does while off duty yet still represents the County and MCFRS proudly. Bill Delaney

By: J. Bryan Stottlemyer, Firefighter/Paramedic MCFRS

Two weeks ago, I returned from the 2010 Can-Am Police and Fire Games, which were held in Dublin, Ohio (just outside of Columbus). I competed in all four cycling events, along with members from my cycling team - Capital Region Fire and Police Cycling. We met, and competed against/with, other public safety workers from around the country and Canada.

The team members arrived with anticipation and excitement ready to put the last year's worth of training to the test. Throughout the events, which consisted of (in order) a Time Trial, Criterium, Street Sprints, and Road Race, our team members earned medals every time we raced. Personally, I earned three Gold Medals, and one Silver. Although I competed for the cycling team, every time I was announced for the podium, they introduced me as "From Montgomery County Fire and Rescue".

Our team, which consisted of members from Alexandria (VA) Fire, DC Metro Police and I, left the games with confidence and respect. We are looking forward to training hard (after a brief off-season, of course!) for the World Police and Fire Games which will be held next August in New York City.

I began riding competitively this year, after discovering road cycling while trying to rehab my shoulder after surgery two years ago. I immediately knew that it was a sport in which I wanted to compete and, shortly thereafter, I learned of the World Police and Fire Games as well as the Can-Am Police and Fire Games...both of which became target events for me. My preparation for next year will begin in about forty-five days. The World Police and Fire Games are going to be challenging to reach, financially, but I'm going to train hard nonetheless. This year, my out-of-pocket costs were nearly $10,000, and next year will probably meet or exceed that. My wife and son have been amazingly supportive, and I owe them all the thanks in the world.

For any Fire Fighter or Police Officer reading this, I would like to spread the word and personally invite others to participate in the world games. It is an experience that will last a lifetime, and next year there will be 68 sports to choose from (http://2011wpfg.org/SportsEvents/tabid/57/Default.aspx). I can tell you that in these difficult times, the brotherhood and camaraderie that is shared among firefighters and police officers around the world is alive and well. I am already looking forward to seeing the guys that I raced against next year!