Red Knights International Firefighters Motorcycle Club

The Red Knights International Firefighters Motorcycle Club (RKMC) is a motorcycle club for motorcycle-riding firefighters and their families. It is the largest firefighter motorcycle club in the world.

Any motorcycle-riding firefighter can become a member of the RKMC. Partners, married couples, children and siblings are accepted as "Social Members".

History

During the summer of 1982[1] several firefighters met at "Randy's Cycle Shop" in Boylston Massachusetts (USA). They were discussing the fact that law enforcement had formed their own motorcycle club, the Blue Knights, but there was not yet a motorcycle club for firefighters. In the course of that discussion, store owner Randy Wilson told Ed Wright, a firefighter from North Boro, Massachusetts, to stop talking about it and start a motorcycle club instead.

Excited by the idea, Ed Wright went home and created some handmade cards to invite firefighters from the area. He planned to organize a meeting to see if there were enough people interested in forming a motorcycle club. On August 17, 1982, Fire Chief Jack Pierce allowed a small group of motorcycle enthusiastic firefighters to meet at the fire department headquarters to create arrangements to start a motorcycle club.

On October 19, 1982, firefighters Colin Mackey, Bob Bourassa, Ed Wright, Roger Wentzell, Dave Hamilton, Bob Goulet, David Hunt, Jon Tripp, Don Parker, Norm Beausoleil and Fire Chief Jack Pierce met again. It was decided that this group would be called the Red Knights Motorcycle Club.

In July 1983, a chapter (local group) was formed in Connecticut. In October of the same year, the second chapter was formed in Massachusetts. Soon, chapters were formed in far-flung places, such as Nevada and Louisiana. In August 1983, the founding members found that the growth of the organization was rapidly surpassing their original expectations. To properly manage this growth, they elected a board of directors, the National Board of Directors. With the formation of the Ontario and Saskatchewan chapters, the club became the Red Knights International Firefighters Motorcycle Club.

The Chapter Austria IV was founded in August 2016. At the moment the chapter has 12 active members and 4 F.O.R.K

The Red Knights regularly organise meetings, rides and charity events.