The 2015 World Police and Fire Games come to Fairfax.
This summer, more than 17,000 police and firefighters will gather in Fairfax for the 2015 World Police and Fire Games. The biennial games, first held in San Diego in 1985, bring together public safety agencies from around the globe to compete in both traditional Olympic-style events well as more specialized contests unique to law enforcement or firefighting. Events include archery, track and field, a bucket brigade with antique-style canvas buckets and a stair climb while outfitted in full “turnout” firefighting gear.
Fairfax residents Bruce Edwards, the event’s director of transportation, and Jerome Williams, director of medical and protocol, met at the 1999 World Police and Fire Games in Stockholm, Sweden, where Williams ran cross country and Edwards ran the 5,000 meters. The pair was so taken with the spirit of the games—both competed in several other games, and Williams won a gold medal for stair climb—that they set out to bring them to Fairfax for the first time.
CEO Bill Knight says the games are on a record pace for athlete registration, with participants from more than 70 countries competing in 61 events across 53 capital-area venues. Says Edwards, “We’re not just representing Fairfax or the capital area—we’re representing the United States.”
All events are free to the public, including the opening ceremonies, which will be held June 26 in Washington, D.C.’s, RFK stadium. Fairfax2015.com
