September 8, 2019
By: Dwayne Page
From Sparta to Bell Buckle, motorcycle bikers set out on a journey Saturday morning to raise funds and honor Tennessee Firefighters who have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty while protecting citizens.
Motorcycle Ride through Smithville from dwayne page on Vimeo.
Dozens of bikers participated in the 6th annual Tennessee Fallen Firefighter Memorial ride which passed through Smithville on Highway 70 and then onto Short Mountain Highway to Cannon County enroute to Bell Buckle on the campus of the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy where the memorial is located.
The bikers got a law enforcement escort through Smithville and the county. Local firefighters also greeted them with waves and a huge American flag from the Veteran’s Memorial bridge on College Street overlooking the route below on Broad Street.
This year’s ride was dedicated to Jason Dickey of the Lawrenceburg Fire Department, the 2008 Line of Duty Death, and Barry Brady (Shady Brady) of the Sparta Fire Department, the founder of the Tennessee Fallen Firefighter Memorial ride who passed away this year.
Beginning in 2002, the first Tennessee Fallen Firefighter Memorial Committee was founded with a mission to create a memorial to honor fallen firefighters in Tennessee. After earning its 501©3 not-for-profit status, the board of directors began to actively raise funds to build the memorial.
In 2005, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a resolution, which dedicated land on the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy property to be used for constructing a memorial.
Fundraising efforts began with the TUFF Challenge and by selling bricks in support of the memorial.
Construction of the memorial was broken up into two phases. The official ribbon cutting ceremony for phase one was held Sept. 11, 2009. Dedication of the completion of the second phase was held on Sept. 10, 2011.
The Tennessee Fallen Firefighter Memorial honors the fallen firefighters of Tennessee. Additionally, a section was added to the memorial that pays tribute to the lives lost during the terrorist attacks that occurred Sept. 11, 2001. As part of that memorial, a piece of a steel I-beam, which was recovered from “Ground Zero” in New York City, is also on display.