If you’ve ever participated in a motorcycle charity ride, you’ve likely spotted the team of dedicated medical professionals known as the EMS White Knights.

They attend such events at the invitation of ride organizers, on constant alert for any incident that requires emergency intervention. They’re usually among the first on the scene if a rider goes down.

What you may not know is that the EMS White Knights is a non-profit national organization that’s staffed by casualty care trained personnel. They’ll be celebrating their 10th anniversary of service to the riding community this summer.

Back in 1998, the organization was officially established by a man with a vision.

Jack Baker, now a trim 70-year-old, spent an illustrious 32-year career as a medic with Toronto Emergency Medical Services. An avid motorcyclist, and a member of the Gold Wing Touring Association, he also enjoyed going on organized rides to support various charities.

“Every so often while on these rides,” he says, “my skills as a paramedic were needed.”

One day, when he and his wife were following another bike on a charity ride north of Toronto, it suddenly veered off the road.

“When I got to the rider, his vital signs were absent. I quickly gave him oxygen with a bag-mask ventilator and started doing CPR and by the time the ambulance got there, I had revived him,” he says. “That made me decide right there that I wanted to start the White Knights.”

As founder of the national EMS White Knights and president of the fledgling Toronto chapter, he started with about a dozen volunteers. The faces of the tightly-knit group have changed over the past ten years but the numbers remain roughly the same.

About half the team now is female, including a woman who is the trauma dispatcher for Toronto EMS. It also includes, he proudly observes, two members whom he mentored while they were college students.

To qualify, prospective members must have recognized medical training. That can mean someone who is a doctor, nurse, medic, or anyone who has St. John’s Ambulance training or a top level First Aid certificate. And, of course, they must know how to ride a motorcycle.

The White Knights attend charity rides almost every weekend during the riding season, Baker says. While based in Toronto, they have travelled to attend rides as far as Ottawa.

On any given ride, up to five White Knights might attend. Generally speaking, if there are less than 200 bikes on a ride, the team attends only on bike. If there are more than 300 motorcycles, they will also be accompanied by their ambulance.

All members of the team carry a fully-loaded trauma pack that was specially designed by the White Knights themselves to meet their unique needs.

The pack normally includes such vital supplies as airway management, pressure dressings, bandages of all sorts, and other medical instruments. In addition, Baker carries oxygen, a ventilator, and a defibrillator.

Although the number of serious incidents at these events is very low, the presence of the White Knights is reassuring.

“It’s a very satisfying thing when we’re able to take care of someone who goes down,” Baker comments. “It’s also very rewarding when people taking part in a ride come over to us and thank us for being there.”

Besides dispensing medical aid when necessary, the mission of the EMS White Knights is to promote safety. That extends from teaching school kids how to have a safe summer, to instructing motorcyclists at spring ‘warm ups’ where riders refresh their skills after the winter layoff.

Another way the Toronto chapter gives back to the community is through an annual fall ride for disadvantaged kids. They do this in cooperation with their fellow emergency services organizations. (To participate in this year’s event, go to www.redwhiteandblueknights.com.)

Nationally, the EMS White Knights are celebrating their 10th year with some encouraging growth. Chapters in Quebec and Alberta were recently established and a Victoria, B.C. chapter is very close to getting off the ground.

Being a non-profit organization, it’s always on the lookout for sponsorship in funding or in kind. EMS Toronto has generously donated an ambulance and trauma packs, while the Mikey Corporation provided a much-needed defibrillator. Baker has personally invested about $20,000 of his own money into the organization.

But there are still many ways companies and individuals can contribute to this worthwhile cause. “I’d love to be able to set up a fully-equipped national office,” he adds. “We’re a bunch of people who enjoy riding bikes, who are trained in casualty care, and who wouldn’t hesitate to help anybody.”

If you’re interested in joining the EMS White Knights, starting a chapter, or would like to help fund their efforts, contact Jack Baker through the organization’s website at www.emswhiteknights.ca.