The United States Police and Fire Championships are an Olympic style competition that began in San Diego over 50 years ago.
"The games originated back in 1967 right here in San Diego by a San Diego sergeant Duke Nyhus," says Edmund Russell the Executive Director of the California Police Athletic Federation.
Russell says the idea for the games was to promote physical fitness and camaraderie.
"This year we are going to have 38 sports spread around the greater San Diego area and we have 28 venues. Right now we are expecting between 2,700 and 3,000 athletes."
This year there are 38 events ranging from football, soccer, golf, and even dodgeball.
"You want to win," says Chuck Adams of the San Diego Fire Department. "Especially because within your own organization you know we are always super competitive."
When you have police and fire fighters competing on the athletic fields. going head to head, you bet it is a rivalry.
"Athletes coming from the different agencies, like corrections, 911 dispatch, crime scene investigators, and life guards, to go with police and fire fighters, there will be little rivalries," says Russell.
"There is always a rivalry between police and fire fighters. Like they say, what they have in common is both of them want to be fire fighters," says Adams
Now while everybody competes to win, the games are also about building friendships.
"I've made new friends. I've got friends that worked as law enforcement all over the state and i look forward to seeing them every year.," says Adams
The U.S. Fire and Police games run from June 10th to the 17th.
