Team 3022: April 2009

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

From The Wynnewood Gazette
Thursday, April 2, 2009

Davis man rides bike to honor fallen Emergency Medical Service workers
By Larry Russell

This year for the first time the state of Oklahoma will be represented in the National EMS Memorial Ride which will involve bikers from across the nation and from Ireland and Germany who wish to honor fallen EMS workers and to help fund the memorial in Roanoke, Virginia.

Eric Grider of Davis was having lunch at a burger joint in Davis several years ago when he encountered two EMS Paramedics, Shane Gilmore and Chris Ramsey, who at that time were with the Pauls ValIey ambulance service.
Eric had for some time been considering getting into an ambulance service, and he was inspired by his talk with the two. A few weeks later he started his EMS career as an EMT-Basic at Pauls Valley with Chris as his full-time partner. Further inspired by Shane and Chris ' skills, he was soon training to be a Paramedic as well.

Shane was a Paramedic with the Oklahoma Ambulance Service in Ardmore full-time and worked Pauls Valley part-time. Eric completed his training at Southern Oklahoma Technology Center in Ardmore and obtained a position with the Ardmore ambulance service. He was almost at the end of his orientation when Shane and his partner, Shawn Skelly were killed in the line of duty on 1-35 between Davis and wynnewood. During a driving rainstorm, Shane and Shawn were assisting an accident victim into the back of the ambulance when they were hit by a vehicle that skidded out of control and slammed into the back of their unit. The patient they were assisting was also killed. "I lost more than co-workers that day," Eric said. "I lost two friends and mentors."

Eric and fellow biker David Seng named their cross-country biking team 3022 (Shane's Medic number was 30 and Shawn's was 22). David and Eric worked together as Flight Nurses/Paramedics for. EagleMed. David is currently employed as the clinical manager for the Integris One Call Center. The 2-man team is currently in the process of raising funds for the memorial which benefits the families of fallen heroes. They will ride for Shane and Shawn. for Janez Case of Clayton, Oklahoma, who was killed in the line of duty January 22, 2007, and for all of Oklahoma's fallen EMS heroes. The ride begins May 16 and will cover over 600 miles, ending at the memorial in Roanoke on May 22. A memorial service will be held there on May 23.

"Typically I ride over 100 miles a week, especially now that I'm training for this ride," Eric said, "I've participated in several charity rides around Oklahoma and Texas. Those are typically 90 to 100 miles. I've never ridden more than 100 miles in a day and never more than around 170 in a week, so I expect this ride to be an epic personal challenge."

Posted Courtesy of Larry Russell, Wynnewood Gazette

Oklahomans Lost in the Line of Duty

Oklahoma EMS has lost three professionals while in the line of duty.

Paramedics Michael Shane Gilmore, 31, of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma & Shawn L Skelly, 28, of Ardmore, Oklahoma, lost their lives October 6, 2002. The medics were assisting an accident victim into the back of an ambulance when they were hit by a vehicle that skidded out of control and slammed into the back of their ambulance during a rainstorm. The patient they were assisting was also killed. Both medics were employed by Southern Oklahoma Ambulance Service in Ardmore, Oklahoma.

Janez Case, 52, of Clayton, Oklahoma, was killed in the line of duty on February 1st, 2007. She was riding in the back of the ambulance attending an accident victim when the driver of the ambulance lost control on the icy road. Ms. Case was taken to Sparks Regional Medical Center in Fort Smith where she died later in the day.
Janez was an Emergency Medical Technician for the Clayton Oklahoma EMS, in Clayton, Oklahoma.