More than 500 public-safety workers from the Tucson area, Arizona, several other states and Canada will take part in the Arizona Police/Fire Games today, Friday and Saturday.
The competition, which includes baseball, basketball, flag football, boxing, track and field and several other events, is open to the public.
"The idea is to experience that camaraderie you get by competing with other public-safety people," said Kirk Simmons, president of the Arizona Police Athletic Federation and a retired Tucson police officer.
He added that since one of the largest areas of concern in public-safety work is physical fitness, the Police/Fire Games provide an outlet for officers and firefighters to train throughout the year before the competition.
While Simmons is now the president of the federation, he said he competed for the first 25 years of the games' 27 years of existence.
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"I played racquetball and softball, but my knees and things like that have taken me away from that," he said jokingly.
Sgt. Mike Smith of the University of Arizona Police Department's investigations section is coordinating as well as participating in flag football.
"It's fun to have that team competition and most teams end up being multiagency, so it is good to work with those people away from work and have a chance to build relationships," said 12-year participant Smith.
Besides Arizona, competitors are coming from California, New York, Nevada, Texas and Canada, Simmons said.
"We invite anyone who is interested to watch and support the people they call for help when they need us," Smith said.
For information on event locations and times, visit azpolicegames.com.
