Palm Coast – Firefighter-Paramedic Brant Gammon lived a life dedicated to service and full of bravery. We honor his legacy by introducing a new one-of-a-kind event, The Gammon. On the first Saturday in November, teams will complete a ruck relay with seven distance legs traveling to each Palm Coast fire station for a total of 28 miles. There are no winners or losers – this is about the team effort, working together for a common goal.
“Brant joined the fire service in 2018 after a full career in the IT sector,” says Lieutenant Patrick Juliano, Palm Coast Firefighter and President of the local International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) 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.”
The morning begins with a ceremony honoring Brant at Heroes Memorial Park. The ruck then starts at Fire Station 21. The route will take participants to each fire station in Palm Coast. The distance from one station to another is considered a leg of the relay, with seven legs. Participants can complete the course as a whole or share the distance legs between team members. Proceeds, donations, and sponsorships will create a scholarship in Brant’s name. The scholarship will fund adults entering the fire service as a second career, just like Brant. The scholarship will be administered by the Palm Coast Benevolent Fire Fighters Fund under the direction of the local IAFF chapter.
“Rucking sounds hard, but it’s really just walking with weight on your back,” explains Jared Dawson, Events Coordinator with the City of Palm Coast. “If you’ve walked with a backpack to school or carried in the groceries, that’s rucking. If you can do that and comfortably walk a mile, you can do this – all you need is a backpack and some form of weight. Group rucks are all about teamwork; that’s why we chose it to honor Brant.”
The Gammon Ruck Relay is on Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 8 am-3 pm. It starts and finishes at Fire Station 21 at 9 Corporate Drive and journeys to every station in Palm Coast. The cost is $30 per person. Finishers receive a patch and a challenge coin. To register for the event or to donate, please visit here. Sponsorship and volunteer opportunities are still available; please contact Jared at jdawson@palmcoastgov.com or Kim at klbrown@palmcoastgov.com.
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