Garland – For one night, the men and women who answer our 911 calls will trade the fire hose and the sidearm for a pair of boxing gloves, to step into the ring together and fight for something bigger than either uniform.
On Friday, September 12, Guns N’ Hoses returns for its 25th year, bringing local firefighters and police officers face to face under the lights for a cause that has quietly held up dozens of North Texas families when they needed it most. In a quarter-century of throwing punches for a purpose, the organization has stood behind more than 80 firefighters and police officers who fell in the line of duty.
Every family left behind found more than sympathy: scholarships for their children and support that carried them forward, long after the news cameras moved on.
That is the number worth sitting with: eighty. Eighty households that once got the knock on the door no family should ever get, and eighty times this community answered back.
Guns N’ Hoses began in the best way; with a simple idea that refused to stay small. Put a firefighter and a police officer in a ring, sell tickets, and turn a night of friendly rivalry into real relief for the families first responders leave behind. Twenty-five years later, the idea hasn’t changed. It has just gotten bigger, louder, and more necessary.
“Over 25 years,” Kris Hostrup, the Gym Manager of the 9th Street Boxing Gym said, “I have watched officers and Firefighters bond at this event.” Kris continued, “This gives these men and women a way to get to know eachother outside of emergency calls.”
What hasn’t changed either is the reason it matters. Every firefighter who walks into a burning building and every officer who answers a call with no idea what’s on the other side of that door does it knowing people like this stand behind their family if the worst happens. Guns N’ Hoses is that promise, made visible, one fight card at a time.
For Garland, Rowlett, and Sachse, this isn’t a spectator sport happening somewhere else. It’s our own firefighters and police officers in that ring, the same ones who show up on our worst days, asking for one good night in return.
The evening promises everything a good fight card should: real matchups, a packed house, and a crowd that’s as much a part of the event as anyone throwing a punch. With every ticket sold, the families who have experienced tragedy feel the warmth and support of the community their loved ones fought for.
The 25th Annual Guns & Hoses Boxing Tournament rings the opening bell Saturday, September 12, at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center with doors opening at 5 p.m. and the fights running until 10 p.m. Tickets are on sale now through at the event center. Sponsorship information is available through the Guns & Hoses Foundation of North Texas. Those who can’t make it into the seats can still stand behind the mission with a direct donation to the foundation.
Twenty-five years, eighty families, one night in September. Come be part of the fun, fights, and fellowship.
Bart S. Alvara is a Garland-based writer, Veteran, and owner of Helpful Heroes of Garland
