Emergency medical services educator honored
Ambulances and other emergency vehicles proceed up North Hill on Broadway Tuesday in a procession to the funeral of Tami Petersen in Mohall.
A long line of motorcycle riders form part of a procession from Minot to Mohall Tuesday, in tribute to one of their own, Tami Petersen, who died in a motorcycle crash July 15.
Ambulances and other emergency vehicles proceed up North Hill on Broadway Tuesday in a procession to the funeral of Tami Petersen in Mohall.
A long line of motorcycle riders form part of a procession from Minot to Mohall Tuesday, in tribute to one of their own, Tami Petersen, who died in a motorcycle crash July 15.
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In the tradition of first responders honoring their own, emergency medical services and law enforcement personnel from across the state, along with a throng of motorcycle enthusiasts, assembled in Minot to embark on a 50-mile journey for the funeral of EMS educator and paramedic Tami Petersen on Tuesday..
Petersen died July 15 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash near New Salem. A celebration of life was scheduled for her in the Donald M. Kolbo Auditorium in Mohall.
"It's great," said Police Capt. Jason Sundbakken of the Minot Police Department, which helped organize the procession. "We expected to have 20 to 25 ambulances, up to 200 motorcycles, a lot of law enforcement units, so it's a great turnout. She had an impact on everybody."
Petersen started her career in Mohall and was a key figure in educating emergency medical technicians in the northwest region and the entire state. She was a devoted volunteer, serving on various state and regional EMS boards and committees. Recently, she took a position with the City of Minot's dispatch center, where she was assistant manager, and became an official member of Minot Rural Fire Department. Her unexpected death weighed heavily on members of Trinity Health First Response, which drove two ambulance vehicles in the procession.
"She'll be missed," said Marcy Kuhnhenn, clinical analyst for First Response Ground, who worked many years with Petersen.