Guns and Hoses game to benefit Lt. Bruce Britt’s family

Firefighters and police officers around Mid-Missouri are gearing up to get ready for their annual charity football game of Guns versus Hoses.

It’s the second year for these emergency responders to suit up and raise money for three big causes.

But this year, some of the money will go to a cause near and dear to many of the firefighters playing – it will go towards Lt. Bruce Britt’s family, the Columbia firefighter killed while trying to rescue people during a walkway collapse.

Gina Volmert, president of the Blue Tiger Quarterback Club, is helping to organize the game as well as play on the powderpuff team that plays before the big game.

“Guns and Hoses is designed to help a number of people in the community,” Volmert said.

Casey Hughes, captain of the Jefferson City Fire Department, is involved for the second year in a row. He played last year, but injuries are keeping him on the sidelines this year.

But he said he can’t stay away because the game is for such a good cause.

“There are three different organizations that we’re supporting: the Quarterback Club, the Community Breast Cancer Project, and Safety Net,” Hughes said. “Safety Net is near and dear to my heart because it’s where we raise money to help the families of cops, firefighters, or other people in the service industry that could be killed in the line of duty so their family can have money in the event of being without income.”

The firefighters will be playing against area police officers to raise money.

“It’s a full contact game with full pads…I mean this is a real football game,” Volmert said.

There are already about 30 firefighters and 30 police officers signed up to play against each other.

The emergency responders had to get sponsors to pay for their spot on the team. Each powderpuff team had to raise $5,000 to play. That money, plus the money from ticket sales, raised about $30,000 last year.

This year, officials organizing the event said they hope to raise $20,000 for each charity.

The firefighters are the current reigning champions, and said they plan to stay that way.

“The trophy has been at the station. I told them [police officers] you can come by the station and take pictures with it,” Hughes said.

The game is on May 17 at the Lincoln University Stadium.

Tickets are $10 – and all proceeds go towards charity.