In 2014, Empress Paramedic Bill Rothschild noticed a small article in JEMS, the Journal of EMS magazine, about The National EMS Memorial Bike Ride. When he read that it was set to pass through both Connecticut and New York on the way to Washington, D.C., he decided that he would try participating for a day.
He was not an accomplished biker, however, and described himself as “woefully unprepared.”
“I was a Joe Homeowner pedaling with my kids around the block,” he said. As a result, his first ride was a tough experience.
“I didn’t finish the day. I did what they call ‘sagging out,’ where they give you a ride. The FDNY donates a 30-passenger van to pick people up. It’s like one of those airport shuttle things.”
But Rothschild didn’t give up. Despite the rough start, he has taken the ride ever since. This year’s eastern route covered 370 miles over seven days — and he was there for five of those days, riding 303 miles. Cyclists can participate for any combination of days during the event, which features various routes around the country. It is followed up by the Ride of Honor in mid-July, another 50 miles from Alexandria, Va., to the suburbs and back for the National EMS Memorial Service. Rothschild said he and three other Empress employees are also taking part in this year’s Ride of Honor.
He said he appreciates the motivation it has given him to increase his fitness level.
“That’s why I love these guys, because they have improved my life,” he said. “They’ve helped me with weight loss and gaining the stamina,” for longer rides.
He also said he enjoys the camaraderie.
“Everybody there is so nice and supportive. People keep referring to it as a race, but it’s not a race. It’s a ride,” he said, noting that it creates a sense of unity for EMS workers. Thanks to the event, he said he now has contacts all around the country. “EMS is so fractured. During this one week, there is none of that. We’re all there to support the families of people who have died in the line of duty.”
EMS Memorial bike riders are referred to as “the Muddy Angels.” Rothschild said that one rainy day, someone said, “You are like muddy angels” — and the name stuck, because even on a dry day, with the sweat and the dirt from the trail, “when you get into the shower, there’s like a mud slick that comes off you,” he said.
Tone can change rapidly
In contrast to the fun camaraderie among riders, the tone can rapidly become somber.
“The next thing you know, you come to one of the lunch stops, and an honoree’s wife and sons and daughter are there, and things get very serious very quickly,” he said.
Each honoree has a tag that is given to their bereaved family, and handing over the tag is an important part of the Muddy Angels experience, when the riders get to meet their honorees’ families.
“The tags come in pairs. You always keep one, and you have one that you are ready to hand over to the family. You have riders that have been doing this for years, and they have 15-20 tags of those that they have ridden for,” Rothschild said.
He mentioned some of the recent honorees.
“We had three line-of-duty deaths from Delaware, including a paramedic who was in a fly car-type vehicle, and after the call was done, and he was on his way back to quarters, he came upon an accident scene where there was a pole down, reported it — and that was the last word anyone ever heard from him.”
The paramedic had come in contact with a live wire from the pole and was electrocuted. His dispatcher, who was the last person to ever communicate with him, rode this year in his honor to present his tag to his family members.
Among previous honorees was former Empress Paramedic Lisa Sillins, who was struck and killed by a car as she left work on a snowy night in Newburgh.
“We rode for her and carried her tag and gave it to her cousin in Long Island. The cousin gave the tag to Lisa’s mom, and within a few months, the mother died. They said they put it in her casket with her.”
Rothschild was the first Empress employee to get involved. He encouraged his colleagues to try it out, and it gained momentum. Now several employees participate.
“I guess I’m a pretty good salesman,” he said.
Empress supports riders
As more employees participated, Empress became a supporter of the event.
“I just took a vacation day for my one-day ride, and I paid the fee myself, and then as I got more involved, I had to take more days off to do the ride. There is a daily fee for riding. It used to be $50 or $100. If you do the whole week, it’s like $700. I was always encouraging my coworkers to get involved,” he said.
Rothschild eventually asked Empress President Michael Minerva if he was willing to help support the participants by covering some of the costs involved. The answer was yes.
Then one year, the ride route, which changes yearly, went directly through Yonkers, where the Empress South station is located. Rothschild asked Minerva if he would be willing to sponsor a dinner for participants. Minerva agreed to do it, and Empress rented tables, chairs, a podium and hors d’oeuvre trucks for the occasion.
Since then, the Muddy Angels have had dinner at the Yonkers station several times.
“We have our own bagpiper and bugler, and we read off the names of honorees. The notes reverberate off the wall. I’ve been there three or four times,” he said. “If you feed the Muddy Angels, they’re going to come back.”
And they’ll be back on their bikes again for the ride next year, whatever route it takes.
