Red Knights Ride Into Vermilion

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Members of four Red Knights Alberta chapters rolled into Vermilion on Saturday, September 19, combining their shared passion for motorcycles with the camaraderie and connection to the fire service that has brought members of the organization together for decades.

The gathering brought together members of Alberta Chapter 1 – Edmonton, Alberta Chapter 5 – Cold Lake, Alberta Chapter 14 – Morinville and Alberta Chapter 12 – Vermilion.

Members from the four chapters gathered in Vermilion to visit fellow Red Knight and former Lakeland College fire training instructor Jim Bristowe, enjoy lunch together and tour Lakeland College’s Emergency Training Centre.

The Alberta chapters are part of the Red Knights International Firefighters Motorcycle Club, an organization that brings together current and retired professional firefighters, volunteer and industrial firefighters, as well as qualifying dual-service medic/firefighters who share a passion for motorcycles.

Alberta Chapter 1 President Wade Halpin said being a Red Knight is about much more than riding.

“It’s a combination of the camaraderie that the Fire Service has instilled in us,” said Halpin. “Even though we are from different places and times, we have all experienced the same things and understand the commitment and dedication it takes to do the job and the mutual respect for our fellow brothers and sisters combined with the passion for riding motorcycles.”

Alberta Chapter 1 was established in the Edmonton area in 1999 and currently has approximately 40 members. Although based in Edmonton, its membership extends beyond the city to include members from Athabasca, Stony Plain and Spruce Grove. The chapter includes a mixture of active, retired and volunteer members of the fire service.

For Bristowe, the visit brought together two significant parts of his life: the Red Knights and the Vermilion fire training school.

Bristowe spent 19 years as an instructor at the fire school, teaching in nearly every area except medical training before retiring in 2020. He helped arrange the tour because of the visiting Red Knights’ backgrounds in the fire service and wanted the group to see what the training facility has to offer.

“I want them to get an indication of what kind of professionalism is taught at the training school,” said Bristowe.

For a number of the visiting Red Knights, the trip to the Emergency Training Centre was also a return to familiar territory. Halpin said many chapter members have received training at the Vermilion fire school over the years. While some had toured the facility previously, many had not, and for others, it had been a considerable amount of time since their last visit.

Prior to the visit, Bristowe said he would not be surprised if some of the riders making the trip turned out to be former students he had instructed during his years at the school.

While motorcycles are what help bring the Red Knights together, community involvement and charitable causes are also an important part of Alberta Chapter 1.

The chapter supports Motorcycle Ride for Dad, One Broken Biker, the Toy Run for Santa’s Anonymous and a Christmas dinner at Blackjacks Roadhouse, along with other charitable causes during the riding season through Bike Nights. Alberta Chapter 1 has also been donating to and volunteering with Edmonton’s Motorcycle Ride for Dad since 2007, including volunteering at the event’s first poker stop.

Group rides, such as the trip to Vermilion, are a regular part of the chapter’s activities. Members plan rides to small communities, landmarks and restaurants, giving them an opportunity to explore new places while spending time together on the road.

Red Knights International also offers riding challenges where members can earn patches by travelling to fire stations across the country. Some challenges involve finding fire departments beginning with particular letters, riding to the location and taking a photograph of themselves or the group at the fire hall.

For Halpin, the activities provide what he jokingly referred to as some “wind therapy” and a good excuse for members to get out on their motorcycles together.

“The open road and just being with like-minded people that come from the same backgrounds as you and the mutual respect the Fire Service has ingrained in us all,” said Halpin of the connection between firefighting and motorcycling.

Saturday’s visit gave the Red Knights an opportunity to enjoy the open road together while reconnecting with a fellow member and touring a facility that has played a role in the training of firefighters from across Alberta.