BANGOR, Maine — There are police and firefighter musters, and then there are the Can-Am Police-Fire Games.
Eastern Maine residents might get a first-hand look at them in 2020 if Bangor and surrounding municipalities can prevail over three other finalists hoping to be the host for the event. If the games are held in Bangor, between 1,500 and 2,000 participants from Canada and America, and their families, are expected to descend upon the Queen City for a week of competition.
Officials from the games are in Bangor for the next four days scouting potential event sites and assessing the ability of the Bangor area to host the competition. Brewer, Hampden, Hermon, Old Town and University of Maine in Orono would assist in hosting the games, according to local officials.
The Greater Bangor Convention and Visitors Bureau held a news conference Saturday on the waterfront to draw attention to the city’s bid and, in a reference to the games’ motto, to declare that the Bangor area is “fit for duty” to host the event.
City Councilor Josh Plourde said the city has experience hosting similar events that draw thousands of people to Bangor, including the National Folk Festival, the American Folk Festival, the Waterfront Concerts series, and the Senior League World Series.
“Eastern Maine is a special place with great people,” he said. “The 2020 Can-Am Police-Fire Games is something we are hoping to see here in this region.”
Bangor police Chief Mark Hathaway and fire Chief Tom Higgins also were on hand to express support for the city’s bid. Both said their departments and other first responder departments in the area have been working with the visitors bureau to be selected for the 2020 event.
“We are engaged. We’re ready,” Hathaway said.
Bill Merrylees, detective superintendent with the London Police Service in London, Ontario, is CEO of the games and is part of the delegation visiting Bangor — which, destinationwise, he called “one of the best-kept secrets in the U.S.”
Merrylees said Saturday that the games, which first started in 1977, include traditional events such as running, swimming, and tennis but also first-responder specific competitions, including some called Toughest Competitor Alive and Toughest Firefighter Alive.
There are events that test police and rescue dogs and skills used by police tactical teams, he added. Events are split between genders and age categories, he said, and a handful of competitors from Europe, Australia and New Zealand are expected to attend.
“But it’s not about the competition,” Merrylees said. “It’s important to be fit and it’s important to have camaraderie with each other.”
Lubbock, Texas; Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri; and the Canadian city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, also are in the running to host the 2020 games. Lake of the Ozarks already has been selected to host the 2018 games, and so would host the event back-to-back if selected for the 2020 event.
Thunder Bay, Ontario will host the games next summer from July 16 through 24.
