World Police & Fire Games

Top Ten Reasons YOU Should Consider Attending the

BY KEN DE JONG, TORONTO FIRE CAPTAIN, STATION 445-A

Back in 2015, I participated in the World Police & Fire Games in Fairfax, Virginia and I had a great time. Shortly after that, I wrote a draft article about why people should consider attending the next games that were scheduled for 2017 in Montreal. The article did not go to print, as the Montreal Police Association was boycotting the games, due to a provincial law that was passed that unfairly capped and clawed back pension benefits. Numerous police and firefighter associations (including Toronto) supported our brothers & sisters in the boycott, and the games were eventually cancelled by the city.

That year, a smaller version of the games was held in Los Angeles, and then in 2019, the games were held in Chengdu, China. They occur every two years and Rotterdam, Netherlands won the bid for 2021. Due to Covid-19, these games were postponed and are now set to go in July 2022.

With the current status of the pandemic, no one really knows what will happen this summer, but I dusted off the article I wrote back in 2015 and would like to share why you may wish to consider attending these games, or the next World Police & Fire Games, which have been awarded to Winnipeg, Manitoba. Once again, Covid-19 restrictions and travel advisories should factor heavily into your decision to participate.

Top Ten reasons why you should consider attending a WPFG: 1

It’s open to you

– no matter your level of expertise.

There are over 60 different sports and about 10,000 athletes at these games, without ANY qualifying necessary. Despite the fact that I wasn’t at an elite level – most people were more interested in where you were from and your fire department than what level of competition you were at.

2

It really feeds your competitive nature.

Going into the games, I was worried I might be the “Jamaican Bobsled Team” of the Orienteering event. Then, I found out there were only six competitors in my division – so I started to think I had a chance to possibly medal. Then,

I was just hoping not to hurt myself or get lost!

Finally, I was proud that I did my best and pushed through to the end. Competing in the games really tests you and gives you the drive to improve for the next games.

3It’s an opportunity to represent your department, city, and country.

Walking into the opening ceremonies and seeing all of the represented countries made you feel like you were in the Olympics. I also felt it when I looked at the list of people in my division and saw that I was the only Canadian (the others were Ukraine, Germany, Norway, Spain, and Mexico). It’s rare to have the opportunity to represent your country and it feels pretty special.

4

You meet a lot of new people.

Most firefighters are pretty sociable, so it’s great to meet new people that have similar interests. You share experiences about your job, your city, your country, and your sport. I’m sure that if you attend multiple games, you will start to see familiar faces from previous games and be able to pick up where you left off from your last meeting. A Quebec firefighter that won his age category said, “I was you four years ago,” and kept improving and returning to the games. I hope to see him again someday!

5

You can experience the host city as a tourist.

Depending on your sport schedule, you will likely have some free time to check out tourist attractions in the city. I was able to take in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and the Marine Corps Museum. These were wonderful places that I would normally not have seen. I probably won’t be back to Washington, so it was pretty cool to do activities like that.

6

If you like to party, there’s plenty of that too. You get to see some pretty high level of competition watching other events.

7

I had a chance to watch some of the other sports and it’s at a very high level. I heard the finals of the Calgary Fire vs Russia hockey game was filled with exNHLers, and I also heard one of the cyclists was an Olympian. I watched some of the cycling and I was impressed with the gear, the warmup routines and ultimately, the races. It can be very inspiring to get you deeper into your own sport and it’s just great entertainment!

There were quite a few Toronto firefighters

I knew there – so it makes it more personal

8. 8

It’s one thing to cheer on a competitor from your own country - it’s another to cheer on your best buddy or someone you know well on the job. Knowing their backstory, training efforts and personal drive gets you imbedded in the excitement of it all. It’s almost like the “hockey parents” that are more nervous than the kid. It’s a great experience and it’s on a world-wide stage.

There are ways to make it economical.

9

The registration fees are not that bad. The base registration fee is USD $135 and then each event has an additional fee (most are USD $30 each). If you ask around, you may be able to split a room with team-mates and the rest is just what you want to spend on food, drink, activities and souvenirs. You can easily make it into a family vacation, but the general consensus is that to get the full experience, you may want to fly it solo or add some time to your trip for your family.

Going to an event this size is like a hockey or baseball tournament on steroids! There was an “athletes’ village” with pubs and vendors, and the city had a town square that was bustling with activity (watching a hypnotist get a bunch of burly FDNY firefighters to do embarrassing things was a highlight). When you get to unwind a bit over a few days, it really resets your energy level. 10 It’s Overall, I had a great time. There were no negatives abouts my trip, whatsoever. I am still FUN. optimistic that I will attend the 2022 World Police & Firefighter Games in Rotterdam for all of the reasons I listed above. If not, going to Winnipeg sounds like a pretty solid plan. If you want more information, ask around – there are plenty of guys and gals on the job that have gone. You can also check out the websites as well. Hope to see you there in 2022!