September 5, 2019
By: Dwayne Page
Local law enforcement officers and firefighters plan to welcome motorcycle riders Saturday morning as they pass through Smithville and DeKalb County on a charity ride to help raise funds for the Tennessee Fallen Firefighter Memorial.
(View video of last year’s motorcycle ride through Smithville below)
IMG_0919 from dwayne page on Vimeo.
Bikers from across the state, many of whom are members of emergency services, will gather in Sparta to participate in the 6th annual event. Bikers will pay $20 and passengers $15 each. Registration will be from 7:30 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. Kick Stands Up at 9:00 a.m. They are scheduled to depart from the Sparta Fire Department traveling west on Highway 70 and are expected to arrive in Smithville around 9:30 a.m. before turning onto Short Mountain Highway toward Woodbury enroute to Bell Buckle on the campus of the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy where the memorial is located.
This year’s ride is 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.
If you have questions, contact Kayla Williams at 615-948-7508, Bradley Johnson at 615-967-6557, or Kenny Kilgore at 931-200-7380.
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.