- April 28, 2024
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Locals prepare to begin the Gammon Ruck Relay. Photo courtesy of the city of Palm Coast
Locals recite the pledge before the Gammon Ruck Relay. Photo courtesy of the city of Palm Coast
Patrick Juliano, Palm Coast firefighter and president of the local International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) chapter, at the Gammon Ruck Relay on Nov. 4. Photo courtesy of the city of Palm Coast
Gammon Ruck Relay participants. Photo courtesy of the city of Palm Coast
Palm Coast firefighters participate in a ceremony honoring the late Palm Coast Firefighter Brant Gammon before the Gammon Ruck Relay. Photo courtesy of the city of Palm Coast
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin speaks at a ceremony before the Gammon Ruck Relay. Photo courtesy of the city of Palm Coast
Gammon Ruck Relay participants. Photo courtesy of the city of Palm Coast
Palm Coast Fire Chief Kyle Berryhill speaks before the Gammon Ruck Relay. Photo courtesy of the city of Palm Coast
Gammon Ruck Relay participants. Photo courtesy of the city of Palm Coast
Participants in Palm Coast's Gammon Ruck Relay. Photo courtesy of the city of Palm Coast
The Gammon Ruck Relay. Photo courtesy of the city of Palm Coast
Firefighters held a ceremony in honor of Brant Gammon before the Gammon Ruck Relay. Photo courtesy of the city of Palm Coast
Gammon Ruck Relay participants. Photo courtesy of the city of Palm Coast
Gammon Ruck Relay participants. Photo courtesy of the city of Palm Coast
Locals hiked the city of Palm Coast's first Gammon Ruck Relay on Nov. 4, taking a 28-mile route that visited every local fire station and began and ended at Fire Station 21.
Teams covered seven distance legs, carrying weight in backpacks. Participants had the option to do the whole course or share the distance with team members.
The event, with no winners or losers, was about team effort, according to a news release from the city government.
It honored Palm Coast Fire Fighter-Paramedic Brant Gammon, who died of brain cancer in November 2022. The ruck relay began with an 8 a.m. ceremony in his honor at Heroes Memorial Park.
“Brant joined the fire service in 2018 after a full career in the IT sector,” said Lieutenant Patrick Juliano, Palm Coast firefighter and president of the local International Association of Fire Fighters chapter. “His story is that you can achieve your dreams regardless of age. It was his life legacy to give back to his community. The Gammon family is a story of service to others; his wife, Josie, is a Flagler County Sheriff's Office dispatch supervisor, and his son Grant serves in the United States Army. We’re proud to be able to honor him in this way.”
Each relay finisher received a patch and challenge coin.
Donations and sponsorships will create a scholarship in Gammon's name to support adults entering the fire service as a second career.
The Palm Coast Benevolent Fire Fighters Fund under the direction of the local IAFF chapter will administer the scholarship.
