Our Ride

Departing from Dublin on September 9th and riding 360.1 KM /223.4 miles down the coast of Southern Ireland, riders will arrive in Kinsale on September 11th where a ceremony will be held to honor those lost on 9/11 and those we have since lost from 9/11-related illnesses.

Why We're Riding for Friends of Firefighters

Last year, Friends of Firefighters provided 4,514 counseling sessions free of charge to active and retired FDNY firefighters and their family members - the highest annual total since the organization's inception over 20 years ago. The total number of counseling sessions provided increased over 300% since 2018. In addition to counseling, the Friends of Firefighters team conducted 354 FDNY company visits, 157 acupuncture sessions, and 90 Reiki sessions to 21 clients.

Your contribution will help to directly support our team for the duration of the ride, and all additional proceeds go towards supporting the Friends of Firefighters mission. Donations help enable FoF to expand its counseling capacity to serve more FDNY community members. Mental well-being facilitates resilience throughout the community and FoF is honored to serve New York Bravest as they continue to serve and protect New York City.

About Friends of Firefighters

Firefighters face trauma every day, impacting their physical and mental health, as well as that of their families, even long after retirement. Friends of Firefighters (FoF) provides independent, confidential, and free mental health counseling and wellness services to active and retired FDNY firefighters and their family members. FoF understands the common effects of the job, such as stress, anxiety, insomnia, injury and sickness, strains on relationships and family life, loneliness after retirement, or struggles with addiction. We know it can be hard to ask for help, especially for a community who is so used to helping others. It is therefore imperative that FoF has the resources to provide life-saving support to every single FDNY community member who needs it. Firefighters are there for us in some of the worst hours of our lives, and it is a privilege to be there for them in their times of need. We must continue to do our very best to ensure their safety and well-being.

Thousands of active and retired firefighters responded to the alarm on September 11, 2001 and 343 members of the FDNY perished in the collapse of the World Trade Center on that day. FoF was born within days of this catastrophic event, providing meals for exhausted rescue workers, facilitating support at funerals and memorials, and ultimately listening and responding to firefighters’ requests for mental health and wellness services.

Today, located in a decommissioned firehouse restored by over 400 firefighters who donated their time and services, our free programs and services connect active and retired firefighters and their families with mental health and wellness services. Our services include mental health counseling, acupuncture, Reiki, music therapy, outdoor retreats and recreation, financial counseling, and in-house events like monthly breakfasts and dinners, among many others—the flexible and adaptable nature of our organization and its structure allows us to provide additional services to our community, whatever their needs may be. With a Board and staff with deep roots in the FDNY, we have engendered trust in the community.

Friends of Firefighters Ireland Bike Ride