vehicle cannot makes it the ideal form of

transportation during an emergency. In a disaster such

as a tornado, a weather phenomenon all-too common in

the Midwest, tree limbs and building debris will be

everywhere, including streets and highways. Hours,

emergency traffic.

Enter the “Rescue Riders,” a group of local bikers who

have volunteered to be members of the Kane County

MRC. The first group of bikers began their MRC training

learning about some of the fundamental principles of first

aid. When they complete their second session, they will

be certified according to the 2005 American Heart

Association’s guidelines. The training was conducted by

the husband and wife team of Belinda and John

Guglielmo, both of whom are firefighter/paramedics and

MRC volunteers. The training took place at the Trinity

Christian Vineyard Fellowship Church in St. Charles, in

space provided by Pastor Dan Rak, himself a volunteer

with the MRC.

Dean Akey, a St. Charles business owner, is the founder

of the Rescue Riders program as well as the founder of

Biker4Biker, a not-for-profit group that works to

coordinate fund-raising efforts for area motorcyclists and

their families in need of help. Akey and other riders,

some wearing leather chaps and other Harley-Davidson

gear, began what may be the first-ever disaster training

for motorcyclists.

Because the concept is so new, ideas on how to use the

riders keep cropping up. Beyond the obvious enhanced

mobility of a motorcycle, which would deliver medicines,

vaccines, medical personnel and equipment to areas

inaccessible to normal traffic, Akey sees his group able

to assist the MRC in other ways. For example, downed

power lines would present an obvious but hazardous

obstacle. But why have firefighters or police officers

guarding the lines when their services could better used

elsewhere? The Rescue Riders could be trained to spot,

track and protect the public from the downed power

lines, freeing up first responders to concentrate on

immediate threats. “There’s a lot that we can do to help

other organizations,” Akey said. “At the end of the day, I

think we have the potential to be more than just a shuttle

service.” Patrick DeMoon, Kane County MRC

Coordinator, contacted Dean Akey with the idea of

training motorcycle riders to make use of their increased

mobility in the event of a natural disaster or terrorist

attack. “What better group than bikers who are already

helping people?” DeMoon said.

The Kane County Health Department established one of

the first MRC units in the country. The Kane County

MRC is a group of several hundred dedicated

volunteers. They are local physicians, dentists,

veterinarians, nurses, pharmacists and other community

residents. During a disaster, the biker volunteers would

be in a position to enhance the mobility of the other MRC

volunteers.

For more information on the Rescue Riders program,

please visit the Biker4Biker website at

www.biker4biker.org. More information on the Kane

County MRC can be found at the Kane County Health

Department’s website (www.kanehealth.com).

are welcome and encouraged. Please submit them to

Gary Brown, Acting MRC Regional Coordinator,

Region V, at gary.brown@hhs.gov.