On your marks.

Get set.

GO!

And they’re off!

The Can-Am Police-Fire Games are underway here in Butler County. We’re excited to welcome first responders from all over the U.S. and Canada.

As the competitors get settled in, we hope they find welcoming the folks of the locales we call home. We’ve been preparing for and eagerly awaiting the arrival of police and firefighters, and hope they find everything goes off without a hitch.

We know Butler County Sheriff Mike Slupe has been working hard in his role as chairman and chief executive officer of the local Can-Am board, and the Butler Tourism & Convention Bureau has been working with him to make all the moving part run smoothly.

It’s bound to be a fast-paced week, with about 500 participants taking part in 33 events at 15 venues all around the county through Sunday, July 21.

As the participants are bouncing from one place to another, we hope they’ll stop to visit the shops, museums, restaurants and parks the county has to offer. In that vein, several hotels and restaurants have Guns & Hoses events planned just for the occasion, designed to provide participants an opportunity to mingle and bond.

Restaurants taking on the Guns & Hoses moniker include the Harmony Inn, the Beacon Hotel, the 11th Frame Bar and Grille, Grist House Beer Crib, Slippery Rock Golf Club & Events Center and the Sports Grille at Cranberry Township.

We were also happy to see the Can-Am Police-Fire Games organization made a donation of $2,000 to Special Olympics Pennsylvania during a welcome dinner for the event on Monday.

Jack Cohen, president of the Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau, said years of work went into the bidding to bring the games to Butler County, organizing the venues and promoting the event.

“In the end, this is an event we really worked hard to get and we were very lucky to get it and now we’ve got to deliver,” Cohen said.

This major undertaking is a boon for both the participants and the community, and we hope area residents will get out and cheer on the folks who keep us safe as they work to build skill, camaraderie and morale among their ranks.

— RJ