In an historical first, Invercargill police and firefighters have physically battled each other — but all for a good cause.
The two organisations squared off against each other on Friday as part of a 24-hour bike-a-thon fundraiser for the annual Westpac Chopper Rescue Appeal.
Senior Firefighter Brad Johnston said six officers from Fire and Emergency New Zealand and five from the police cycled for 24 hours, finishing at 7am on Saturday.
He said to have the two organisations competing against each other was great, as it motivated the riders.
"It's quite boring by yourselves, so to have the local police here as well, it just pushes us to go that little bit harder, make us a little bit quicker and really want to push for those extra kilometres."
This was the inaugural event, but they aimed to make it an annual event, as it was all about raising funds for the Westpac rescue chopper.
As they dealt with incidents every day, the rescue chopper was the lifeline, he said.
"At the moment, it's kind of just bragging rights on who could go furthest, but maybe next year, they might be able to enhance the competition and put a trophy on the line, to see who can generate more income for the Westpac rescue chopper."
"I'm doing 10,000m ... but it's all for a good cause," he said.
Fellow competitor Nick Barclay agreed.
"We're doing our bit here, trying to raise as much as we can over the 24-hour period.
"It is a pretty good cause. You never know when you might need it yourself, so I am getting in behind it."
The event ended in a draw, with firefighters riding the longest distance but police gaining the most elevation metres.
The two organisations had raised about $3000 so far, with online donations and raffle proceeds yet to be added, the Southland Times reported yesterday.
A team of firefighters will take part in the 12th annual Westpac Chopper Bike Rides event on May 12. About 100 firefighters will ride around 200km from Queenstown to Invercargill.
