Firefighters Hit The Road

Participants in the 2013 Bike 4 Burns charity bike ride (Photo: Bike 4 Burns)

May 1, 2015

Forty-six firefighters and volunteers left Gladstone today for an 800km bike ride to Brisbane to raise funds for the Centre for Children’s Burns and Trauma Research in Brisbane.

The annual Bike 4 Burns charity bike ride, now in its ninth year, will pass through Murgon on May 4.

It will take the 31 firefighter cyclists and 15 support volunteers seven days to complete the ride.

QFES Acting Commissioner Katarina Carroll said Bike 4 Burns was a unique opportunity that not only helped staff maintain a high level of fitness, but also benefitted some of Queensland’s most vulnerable children.

“To date, the charity ride has raised more than $373,000 for the Children’s Hospital Foundation to specifically put towards burn technology research and development,” Ms Carroll said.

“Firefighters know all too well the devastating affects burns can have. It’s great to think of the positive influence this ride will have on improving treatments and outcomes for children with devastating burns injuries.”

This year’s event also features a virtual ride where teams of riders can register to cycle the same amount of kilometres per day as Bike 4 Burns participants.

“Join some mates at a gym, play on the wind trainer at home, or partake in a group ride around your town. It all counts towards the team’s total and is a great way to become involved in the cause,” QFES Inspector and Bike 4 Burns organiser Gordon Hemphrey said.

The Director of the Centre for Children’s Burns and Trauma Research at the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, Professor Roy Kimble, said he appreciated all the hard work for the cause.

“I am in awe and so appreciative of firefighters who volunteer their time each year to raise vital funds for burns research,” Prof Kimble said.

“We can’t do research unless we have funding, so I urge you to please support Bike 4 Burns so we can continue ground-breaking research and invest in the best available medical equipment to help work wonders for kids that suffer burns.”