SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — San Francisco first responders squared off in a friendly competition for a good cause Wednesday.
The Salvation Army hosted its annual Turkey Carve-Off to prepare holiday meals for seniors and families in need ahead of Thanksgiving.
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The San Francisco Police Department faced off against the San Francisco Fire Department.
“This is great, and the collaboration carries over from the street to here, but here we have a little competition,” said Fire Chief Dean Crispen.
Both the San Francisco Police and Fire Departments say the real winners are the San Franciscans who will enjoy hot Thanksgiving meals, because of the event and work of the Salvation Army.
“It’s our annual turkey carving event, and we invite the fire department and the police department to kind of carve off, if you will, carving turkeys that we are going to be delivering meals to in the Tenderloin later this afternoon,” said Salvation Army Major Matthew Madsen.
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Playing a part in those deliveries was especially meaningful to all of the first responders who got to participate.
“If you ask anybody at this table on either side, we all got in this job for the same reason, and that was to help people,” Crispen said. “Normally, it’s on the street, somebody has a medical incident or they need a police department or fire, we’re there to help them. But this is a different way of helping.”
And a different way of competing!
The fire department had been the event’s reigning champions and came in with confidence this year.
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“We are mostly professional cooks in our own minds, but we do cook in the firehouse, and we’re very well known. I was taught by a professional chef when I got in the fire department,” Crispen said.
Each team was judged for speed, finesse and style.
The teams tied but, after a tie breaker, the prize went to the police department.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Deputy Police Chief Derrick Lew. “We look forward to any opportunity to take down our fire rivals, but in all honesty, just a great event to kick off the holiday season.”
The Turkey Carving event is set to be followed by another event hosted by the Salvation Army in San Francisco on Thanksgiving Day. It sees hundreds of volunteers picking up boxes of food to take to seniors throughout the community. The Salvation Army reminds everyone that volunteers are welcome year-round.
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