Scottsdale Firefighters Enter Cooking Competition For Charity

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The Scottsdale Fire Department has joined the Arizona Burn Foundation in raising awareness about kitchen fire safety and funds for the nonprofit with a food-themed competition.

The nonprofit's 'Cook Like a Firefighter' competition will officially kick off on Oct. 4 and run until Oct. 17. A number of fire stations throughout the state have joined the competition, which has each department entering a unique recipe with an accompanying video. Arizona foodies will vote for their favorite recipe.

"This year, with rising COVID-19 concerns and social distancing protocols, we wanted to make sure that we were continuing to support the relationship between our Arizona fire departments and the communities that they serve," the Arizona Burn Foundation said in a news release. "That's why we are holding our very first 'Cook Like a Firefighter' competition!"

Each vote is equal to $1 for Arizona Burn Foundation programs for burn survivors and their families. The three departments with the most votes will win gift cards to Safeway and Albertson's grocery stores. The first place winner will receive a $500 gift card, while second place will get $300 and third place will be sent a $200 gift card.

The Scottsdale Fire Department got involved as a chance to help the charity while also raising awareness about preventing kitchen fires, it said in a Facebook post.

"This year's Fire Prevention Week theme is Kitchen Safety," the department wrote. "In recognition of this, Scottsdale Fire is participating in a Cook Like a Firefighter competition with the Arizona Burn Foundation."

Scottsdale Fire engineer Chris Hauser is representing his team with a Thai basil chicken stir fry. Hauser also submitted the full recipe along with a video of himself making the dish.

Multiple stations in Phoenix also submitted recipes of their own, as did teams in Flagstaff and Tempe. You can see all the recipes and vote for your favorites here.