HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Hanover County Firefighter Lt. Brad Clark is still remembered as an amazing husband, father, friend and firefighter more than four years after he was killed in the line of duty.
Clark was killed while responding to a crash on Interstate 295 in October of 2018. The driver of a tractor trailer lost control and crashed into the back of his firetruck, hitting the firefighters standing outside.
To honor him and keep Clark’s legacy alive, the local firefighting community is partnering with the Richmond Raceway for an April fundraiser.
It takes about 1,100 steps to “Master the Mezz,”a challenge you can take right before the Toyota Owners 400 on April 2 inside the Henrico County raceway.
The money raised will go to the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU and the Metro Richmond Flying Squad. The squad responds alongside first responders and provides them with water, food and shelter during emergencies.
Organizers said it’s all about giving back to the individual in the community who gave us so much.
“Everyone's first instinct when they see a burning building is to run out, yet these guys are running in,” said Ashley Renz, a board member with the Flying Squad.
Richmond Raceway President Lori Waran grew up knowing Lt. Clark, so this fundraiser is personal.
"Lieutenant Brad Clark was actually a wonderful friend to me throughout my entire childhood. I grew up with him from Kindergarten all the way through my senior year of high school. He was a special part of this community," Waran recalled.
There are about 500 spots for members of the community to take on the challenge and climb the steps throughout the mezzanine at the Richmond Raceway.
“We can give back to first responders and there's nothing more important to us than that,” she said. “When you do great work in the community, and you get to have a lot of fun and give back. That's the good stuff, right?"
Tickets cost $65, which includes admission to the race plus a pre-race party with live music, food, and drinks.
“This is not a firefighter-only event,” Renz stated. “I'm sure there's going to be plenty of them here geared up to go but we really want to see just as many community members.”
Metro Richmond Flying Squad Chief Steve Korb said another goal of the event is to educate drivers about Virginia’s Move Over Law.
“A sad statistic 50% of all firefighter line of duty deaths occur because of stress and over exertion. Then the next component is traffic accidents. Highway traffic accidents kill numerous firefighters, police officers and tow truck operators every year. It's as simple as the citizens can do their part by giving them that extra lane when they see the red lights activated,” Korb explained.
The law requires drivers on a highway approaching stationary flashing blue, red or amber lights to move into a lane that is further away.
If it’s unsafe to change lanes, the law states drivers must proceed with caution and maintain a safe speed for highway conditions.
Any violation of this could be considered reckless driving. If a violation results to damage of any property, the offender could have their driving privileges revoked for up to a year.
A driver could lose their privileges for up to two years if another person is injured or killed.
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