Fire Station 69 paramedic Jorge Ostrovsky is one of six L.A. firefighters cycling 3,308 miles across the United States to honor those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. ’After riding in 122-degree heat [in Arizona], 100-degree heat is manageable,’ said Ostrovsky, who spoke to the Palisadian-Post from Socorro, New Mexico, on Monday. The ride, which began in Los Angeles on July 24, will end in New York City at the Firefighters Memorial on September 9 to help commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Traveling through 15 states and averaging about 70 miles a day, the firefighters will also stop in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Flight 93 crashed. Three years ago, Ostrovsky came up with the idea to honor those who lost their lives and to also raise money for two charities: the Dennis Leary Firefighters Foundation and the Wounded Warrior Project. After leaving downtown L.A. last week, the riders biked through eastern California into Arizona. In lieu of hotels, they are staying in fire stations and other public facilities. In Yucca, Arizona, they were housed in the Community Center, but when the air conditioning failed, they were moved to the Natural History Museum. ’We slept with the lizards and snakes,’ Ostrovsky joked, but he was happy for the air conditioning. ‘It was across from the fire station, so we were able to get a shower.’ The next day, as they biked towards Parker, the road heat was 122 degrees, and the front clip-on cleats on Ostrovsky’s biking shoes melted. ’I literally melted out of my shoes,’ he said. ‘I also poured ice in my shorts every half hour. I was worried about dehydration.’ The men went through 10 gallons of ice that day. In Parker they stayed at the fire station (‘The people in the town were great, they gave us ‘carte blanche”) and in Wicksburg (‘a really cool town) they slept in a jail that had been converted to a community center. ‘There were still bars on the window,’ Ostrovsky said. From there, they went to Scottsdale and then Payson, where they stayed in a fire station that had been completely remodeled, but hadn’t yet been occupied yet. ‘The country reminded me of Mammoth,’ Ostrovsky said. On Sunday, ‘we saw a whole herd of antelope off the road,’ said Ostrovsky, who had never been to Arizona and New Mexico’s wide-open spaces. ‘Everywhere we’ve stopped, and all along the road, the people have been incredible. They come up to us, start talking and want to know what we’re doing.’ In order for Ostrovsky to be gone from work for at least 50 days, he and his fellow riders started trading and picking up extra shifts at the beginning of the year. Many have left wives and children to cycle across the country. ’My wife Kim is the most understanding, greatest person ever,’ Ostrovsky said, adding that she will meet him in New York in September. Ostrovsky is carrying Berry Perkins’ photo in his jersey. ‘She was a friend’s friend, and was in the American Airlines jet that crashed into the tower,’ he said. ‘The photo rides with me every day.’ As a high school varsity volleyball coach in Newberry Park, Ostrovsky was asked if there is a lesson about physical challenges he hopes to impart to his athletes. Instead, he emphasized another challenge: ‘I’d like them to learn ‘It’s not always about you,’ think of the greater good and others. It’s rewarding to do something for others.’ Other members of the team are Scott Hambly, James Prabhu, Scott Smith, Marv Williams and Randall Wood. Many riders are recording their journey on Facebook and Smith is wearing a GPS system so that people can follow his ride in real time. After New Mexico, the riders will turn towards Amarillo and Clovis, Texas. ‘Please tell people to keep donating online [for the charities],’ Ostrovsky said, noting that 343 firefighters and paramedics plus 60 NYPD and Port Authority police officers were killed on 9/11. Visit: www.ridefor9-11.org. By clicking on the firefighters’ photos, one can access blogs and the map.
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