Editor’s Note: For more than 40 years, Firehouse Magazine has focused on the play-by-play details of a firefighter’s job, offering informative content to improve their abilities on the fire and rescue scene as well as their leadership skills back at the station. Many firefighters would say their job is their life, but we know, in reality, there is so much more.
In this new column, Firehouse explores some of the ways firefighters build stronger, healthier or more well-rounded lives during their off-duty hours. Considering the extreme stressors firefighters face on the job, it is critical to spotlight these positive outlets and opportunities in which firefighters are engaging with their communities, country or world in unique ways.
This month, Paul Eggerding shares the background and mission of the Fire and Iron Motorcycle Club.
You put away your gear as you finish yet another shift at the firehouse. Heading home you think about what your plans are for the day. Some of us may go golfing, head out with the kids or maybe tackle that lawn care project your spouse has been after you to finish. Perhaps you will indulge yourself in something else you are passionate about. For a select group of us whose passion is motorcycles, we will head out to meet our Fire and Iron Motorcycle Club (MC) brothers and sisters.
First conceived in 1997 by Lance Hilliard, Mike Eller and Joe Czesnakowicz, all who served with Orange County, FL, Fire Rescue, the goal was a simple one—to form a motorcycle club made up of other like-minded firefighters who shared not only a passion for motorcycling but also doing some good within their communities.
Now, we all need ways to take our minds off some of the things we see and encounter on the job. Each one of us deals with and processes these things differently. For us, Fire and Iron offers a huge support network of others who know what you are going through. It serves to strengthen the bonds between the brothers and sisters by allowing us to form a “family” within our fire service family—not to mention the peace you can find with the wind in your face out on the open road. These are the times we use to put our minds at ease and come to terms with those horrible things that no one else should have to endure. To us, being in a motorcycle club represents more than just a part-time hobby; it is a way of life very much like being a firefighter. We take our commitment to the club and each other just as seriously as we do to those we serve with at the firehouse. This is why I say we form a “family” within a family.
In the past 20 years, fewer and fewer municipalities require you to live within the area you serve. This means less and less interaction with those you work with off shift. The days where every birthday, anniversary, wedding and kid’s party was attended by everyone in your firehouse are going by the wayside. It still happens, but it’s not nearly as prevalent as it once was. Being part of the motorcycle club gives a little bit of that comradery back to each one of us. Now parties are attended by our club brothers and sisters as well as some of the guys from the firehouse.
From its humble beginnings, Fire and Iron has grown to over 140 “stations” (as we call our chapters). Made up of union, non-union, career and volunteer firefighters, the connections from across the country—and even Germany and Canada—have united firefighters from all over the world. Many nights have been spent “talking shop,” discussing different tactics and learning new ways to do our job. So you see, it is more than just riding a motorcycle. Many of us take those conversations and ideas back home to our firehouses to try new things. The experiences and knowledge of the members are immeasurable. The bond that we have transcends the causal weekend warrior. A wealth of knowledge is merely a phone call away.
“So what is the purpose of the club?” you might ask. At its core is the bond of firefighters who want to continue to share the brotherhood of the fire service as well as riding motorcycles, but it is so much more. We all took the job to make a difference within our communities, to be the one who was there to help someone in need on their worst day. The club allows us a unique opportunity to continue that service in other ways. By leveraging the motorcycling community, we are able to raise money for a wide variety of charities. Some of the charities that we have donated to include everything from local food pantries, children’s burn camps and pediatric units at hospitals to the Firefighter Cancer Foundation and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. It is who we are as firefighters and who we are as people. It’s that drive to serve in each of us on the job that just naturally crosses over into what we do with our off-duty time.
The best thing about being in this club is by far the people, the friendships and the bonds that you make throughout the years. Just like within the firehouse, the bonds you make with the people you work with on shift are strong. You’re a cohesive unit that functions toward a common goal. This is also true of the club. We work toward the common goal of enhancing and providing that bond while off duty, just as we have within our places of work. When a member leaves the department, eventually you will find yourself around the kitchen table telling stories and laughing about all the good times you had together. The club is no different; it’s all about the stories and being with our fellow firefighters.
I would like to thank Ricci Ruschioni, national president; Don Matchem, national vice president; Mike Bentley, national sergeant at arms; Ben Goodstein, national treasurer; and the club founders for having the faith in me to write this article on behalf of the club.
Paul Eggerding is the national secretary for the Fire and Iron Firefighters Motorcycle Club.
Sidebar: More about Fire and Iron
Fire and Iron MC’s membership is made up of firefighters and others who are associated with the fire service, love to ride, and are committed to the brotherhood. Members are comprised of active and retired full-time/career, paid on-call or volunteer firefighters. In addition to firefighters, we welcome dispatchers, mechanics or inspectors who work in direct support of the fire service.
If you are interested in joining, please contact your local Fire and Iron Station. The club is divided into eight regions, which are overseen by a regional officer, and international stations, which are overseen directly by the national executive board.
fireandiron.com
Sidebar: Axemen Professional Fire Fighters Motorcycle Club
The Axemen is a brotherhood, but we are also very family-oriented. My daughters have been hanging out at the Detroit Clubhouse since they were born.
Riding motorcycles is therapeutic for us. Being able to do that with like-minded firefighters who see and do the same thing day after day is a blessing.
We have grown a lot over the years but still live by our motto, “Quality Over Quantity.”
— Brent Gilbert, national president, Axemen Motorcycle Club
Paul Eggerding
Paul Eggerding is the national secretary for the Fire and Iron Firefighters Motorcycle Club. He is a lieutenant with the Berekeley, IL, Fire Department.
