Columbus Fire & Police hockey teams volunteer together at Firefighters 4 Kids warehouse

COLUMBUS, OH (WCMH)– Before the puck is dropped for the 5th annual Columbus Police and Fire First Responder Face-Off, the teams came together to do what they know best: service to the community.

“Firefighters and police officers see the worst of society, but we also see the best as well. We know what’s out there, and we know how to give back to the community and want to support the community as much as possible. This is one of those type events that allows us to do so,” said captain of the Columbus Police hockey team Lt. Blake Griffith.

Both the Columbus Fire and Police hockey teams put in time sorting toys, and building bikes at the Firefighters 4 Kids warehouse Thursday.

“Hopefully people understand we’re human just like everybody else. We have emotions, feelings,” added manger of the Columbus Fire hockey team Lt. Chris Janiak. “We work hard. We try to play hard with the hockey, but I’m very proud of how much our guys give back. Not only give back at work, but we do a lot of stuff off the ice with the hockey team.”

They work together daily and have a profound respect for each other, but they say come January 18 at the face-off, the competition will be fierce.

“I think the numbers are definitely on our side,” said Janiak. “But… the police do have the trophy right now as Blake would say, but our practices, the last 3 practices that we’ve had, have kept the boys focused. I expect this should be a good game. We’ll have a good product out there.”

Columbus Police aren’t so sure about that.

“You know what… I’ve seen fire’s team skate, and I’ve seen our team skate… I’m confident we’re going to take it back again this year,” said Griffith.

Both sides agree, at the end of the day, it’s a win-win situation for the entire community.

“The fact of the matter is when we get together and play on the ice, we’re competitive, but we’re all friends out there, and we’re all working towards one goal and that is raising money to help out first responder families,” Griffith explained.

“It’s a good thing here in Columbus [that] Columbus police, Columbus fire, we’re all friends. We get a lot not only in the streets, but more importantly off duty,” Janiak agreed.

The First Responder Face-Off is January 18 at 1 p.m. at the Schottenstein Center. CLICK HERE for more information and to buy tickets.