Hutchinson Fire Department ready to help Big Brothers Big Sisters

BY JUDD WEIL
Hutch Post

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Fire Department (HFD) is ready to hit the court against the Hutchinson Police Department (HPD) for the first annual Guns-N-Axes fundraiser basketball game to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Reno County.  

“The police Department actually contacted the fire department about setting up a basketball game between them back in the November and December timeframe,” Jeremiah Dowling, fire inspector and investigator with HFD and an organizer of the game, said.  

Whereas HPD has Bigs in Blue involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters, HFD does not have anything similar yet they were ready and eager to help either way.  

The Guns-N-Axes basketball game is largely HPD’s idea.  

“We [HFD] tend to stay more localized as far as volunteer work,” Dowling said. “This was just something that the PD contacted us about because they were doing this with Big Brothers Big Sisters, so we went ahead and told them we would put this on to try and raise funds for them.”  

Dowling added he thinks this benefit basketball game speaks volumes on the relationship between Hutchinson Fire Department and Hutchinson Police Department.  

“I've been in places where those types of agencies don't necessarily get along but in this instance everything I have seen and heard thus far as far as what's going on with this it's all been kind of a playful banter type of a thing,” Dowling said. “It really does it shows that we work well together and that there's healthy competition there.” 

Dowling has hopes about the awareness that the game will bring for Big Brothers Big Sisters. 

Organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, they set an excellent example I guess is probably the best way to look at it, “Dowling said. “Here’s some people who have made something of themselves and they're actually taking time to help kids who don't necessarily have any kind of a role model to look up.”  

According to Dowling, the HFD team has been practicing regularly for the game against HPD. Once they were established, the HFD team has been practicing since November up to two or three times a week. 

 “I'm not going to say it's 100% but I like our chances,” Dowling said.  

The Guns-N-Axes benefit basketball game will be held at 1 p.m. in the north gym of Hutchinson High School at 810 E. 13th Avenue in Hutchinson.   

Entry is by donation and there will be refreshments.   

At halftime, people will have the opportunity to pay a dollar to shoot a free throw at halftime to win a bottle of soda.  

The first 100 people who attend the game will get to choose either a red or blue rally towel to support whichever department they want to. There are 50 red and 50 blue towels.

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