Motorcycle club offers unique brotherhood for emergency responders

John Hilfirty may be a volunteer with the Harrisburg Fire Department, but on his days off, he enjoys a good motorcycle ride. And you can often find him riding with other firefighters and paramedics from Cabarrus County.

He is the president of Fire & Iron Station 92, a motorcycle club devoted to riders involved in emergency services. The club is the local chapter of the national Fire & Iron organization, which started in 1999.

The national organization started after several members of Orange County fire and rescue got together during Biketoberfest and talked about starting a club devoted to emergency services. Biktoberfest is the big biker rally in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Fire & Iron Station 92, based in New London, is the local chapter and one of only two chapters in North Carolina. Hilfirty and others founded the local chapter on Jan. 29, 2010.

The group now has roughly 20 members and Hilfirty says they are always looking for more members to join their brotherhood. Members can include active and retired firefighters and EMS workers.

“That’s what I keep driving home to the club,” Hilfirty said. “We’re here to take care of each other.”

And a motorcycle club seemed like a natural fit for Hilfirty and others in the emergency services.

“The motorcycle community in itself is a brotherhood, so this is a natural connection,” he said. “There’s a special bond among most motorcycle riders. You’ll see motorcycle riders from all walks of life.”

But the Fire & Iron Station 92 is not just a club where the motorcycle riders to meet --- it’s a haven for a member who ran a bad call or is dealing with something personal.

Jerry Kaminski is a retired Cabarrus County EMS paramedic and he’s been a member of Fire & Iron Station 92 since it began.

Kaminski’s home is used as the group’s headquarters --- a two story red barn situated on a roughly 20-acre piece of property. A statue of a firefighter stands outside the barn to welcome members. Everyone knows the combination to get into the barn.

“You never know when you might need a break,” Kaminski said. “It’s not just EMS and fire, it’s things that happen in your own life.”

Hilfirty agreed.

“We see things out there on the streets, most people can’t dream about,” Hilfirty said. “It gives you a place to unwind. When I come down here I’m not worried about bills at my home. I’m not worried about anything.”

For Kaminski, it also makes sense to have a club like theirs.

“If we all get along at work, there’s no reason not to get together outside of work,” he said. “You can’t ride with a safer group of people.”

Kaminski knows first hand. Even before the club started, he was riding with fellow paramedics around 2006 when he had a motorcycle crash.

Cabarrus County EMS paramedic Mark Kirk and his wife, Julie, an emergency room nurse, were there to help him and quite possibly saved his life. Kaminski said their training helps them if there ever is a wreck.

“Everybody knows CPR, everybody knows the basics,” Kaminski said. “It’s people helping people. It’s a brotherhood.”

Now, some people may actually think it’s a bit of a contradiction for people in emergency services to ride motorcycles, something some individuals consider dangerous.

“We do something dangerous every time we get on a fire truck and go to a call,” Kaminski said. “This is just relying on each other when we are done with our working lives. It’s no more dangerous than at work.”

The group not only rides their motorcycles through the area, but is active in the community and organizes fundraisers for other organizations. In April, they raised more than $2,000 for Flight of Honor, which flies World War II vets to Washington free of charge. They have also raised money for the North Carolina Fallen Firefighters Association and the Nazareth Children’s Home, among others.

Allen Burnette, chief of the Midland Volunteer Fire and Rescue, has seen the impact they have on others and has been a proud supporter of the group.

He has been a part of the group for about a year. When he’s not busy at work you can often spot him on his 2002 Harley Davidson Fat Boy, painted fire engine red.

Burnette said he already has three members of his department looking to join the Fire & Iron Station 92 team.

“The fire service is a tight knit group,” Burnette said. “And this is a tight knit brotherhood, outside of fire service.”

Contact reporter Michael Knox: 704-789-9123.