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In the best tradition of first responders honoring their own, EMS and law enforcement personnel from a wide region – 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 July 25.

Petersen passed away July 15 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident near New Salem. A celebration of life was scheduled for 11 a.m. in the Donald M. Kolbo Auditorium in Mohall.

First responders from Williston to Bottineau gathered in the parking lot north of Trinity Health West. The procession was set to depart at 8 a.m. By 7:30 the lot was overflowing with vehicles and well-wishers. “It’s great,” said Police Capt. Jason Sundbakken of the Minot PD, 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 began her career with Mohall Ambulance Service and started teaching at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Minot in 1992. She was a key figure in educating EMTs not only in the northwest region but the entire state. She devoted volunteer time on various state and regional EMS boards and committees and served as NW Director for the ND EMS Association for many years. She continued to work in EMS education at Trinity Health. Recently she had taken a position with the City of Minot’s Dispatch Center 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 Tami.

Sundbakken said the first responders would be traveling to Mohall with flashing lights, and non-emergency vehicles would engage their flashers.