Accident Scene Management founder, Vicki “Spitfire” Sanfelipo, will be inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame August 12, 2020.
There is a strict vetting process that takes place each year, and the board of directors at the Sturgis Museum considers candidates carefully before selecting each year’s inductees. Vicki received six separate nominations for consideration this year.
Given the nickname “Spitfire” from her long-time friend, Diva Amy Skaling, Vicki certainly lives up to that moniker. Ever since starting to ride motorcycles in the late 1980s, she’s been a bundle of energy. Playing guitar and singing at bars on weekends to earn the money needed to put herself through nursing school, the single parent raising three young daughters became a Registered Nurse and worked at a variety of jobs at the hospital in Wausau, Wisconsin, finally settling in the surgery department. In 1987 she bought her first motorcycle and then in 1995, she joined the Governor’s Motorcycle tours, established by then Wisconsin governor Tommy G.Thompson, as the only female Road Captain and ride nurse. Shortly after, she attended a workshop presented by “Slider Gilmore” entitled Two Wheel Trauma. Gilmore, an EMT in Iowa, who lectured on how to treat injured motorcyclists before professional help arrived.
Energized by Gilmore’s presentation, and with his blessing, Vicki authored a program she named Accident Scene Management (ASM), and along with three fellow nurses from Wausau Hospital, began teaching a “hands-on” class to riders in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation learned of her efforts and supported her in presenting more classes for anyone interested. It was the beginning of an adventure that led to her being honored in Sturgis this year.
Her devotion to education and saving lives led Vicki to leave her nursing career at the hospital and devote her time as a volunteer director, educator and instructor trainer for ASM. Today, with instructors in states across the U.S. and in other countries, thousands of students have been trained in roadside assistance at motorcycle crashes. Testimonials have come in from around the world explaining how the ASM training has saved lives and improved the outcomes of injured riders. She has continued this dedication to saving lives for 25 years, and today, besides teaching ASM, she also teaches CPR classes for the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association.
To further support the motorcycle community, Vicki founded Road Guardians, a continuing education and safety organization dedicated to life-long learning. Road Guardians is a membership organization that helps support and promote ASM as well as provides an education tool for riders of all types.
As a patriotic biker, Vicki has always admired and appreciated our military and first responder services. To that end, she founded another organization, Diamond Posse, and along with several other dedicated female riders, traveled across the country on benefit rides. These rides visited Veteran’s Administration hospitals in various states, to bring encouragement to veterans and show appreciation for their sacrifices. Diamond Posse raised thousands of dollars for the Center for the Intrepid and to purchase a companion dog for a deserving veteran. She also brought ASM training to military installations in North Dakota and Florida. She was a keynote speaker at a safety forum at Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, Florida, and was presented the “Spirit of the Bayonet” from the 65th Engineer Battalion, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, in appreciation for her teaching Army personnel.
ASM professional series classes have been presented to first responders across the country, including firefighters, EMT’s and police academy cadets. She also taught a special class for South Dakota law enforcement prior to a Sturgis Rally, sponsored by the South Dakota DOT.
Her achievements and dedication have not gone unnoticed, and this year Vicki will join the class of 2020 at the Deadwood Lodge in Deadwood, South Dakota as she is honored for her life-long passion for teaching and promoting motorcycling as a way of life. Her recognition also brings honor to ASM and all the instructors and students who believe in what ASM is all about.
If you are able to travel to Sturgis, South Dakota this year in August, please consider attending the Hall of Fame Breakfast at Deadwood Lodge on Wednesday morning, August 12. Help celebrate Vicki’s induction into this prestigious body of individuals who have done so much for others in the motorcycle community. If you cannot attend, consider sending her well-wishes and congratulations on her work and vision for a safer world.
-Written by Tony “Pan” Sanfelipo
