Officials for the Can-Am Police-Fire Games made a wise choice Monday by selecting Butler County as the location for one of its upcoming annual games.

The tournament will be held at a variety of venues throughout the county from July 15 to 21 in 2024, and is expected to draw more than 1,000 participants from the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Canada.

The Games are an Olympic-style event featuring traditional sports — such as cycling, ice hockey, Frisbee and cross country races — and competitions that enable first responders to use their day-to-day skills.

Participants will include members of fire and police departments, emergency medical responders, corrections officers, Homeland Security and Border Patrol.

Earlier this fall, officials from the games toured Butler County — stopping at outdoor venues such as Slippery Rock University, Moraine State Park and the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex — and obviously liked what they saw.

It’s impressive that Butler County beat out the other finalist — Savannah, Ga., which is often ranked among the top 20 or so U.S. tourist destinations — but not surprising.

The county has a number of great facilities and parks that would be perfect for hosting the games as well as restaurants, entertainment options and tourist attractions for those attending or participating in them to visit.

In the announcement that Butler County was chosen, it was noted that contestants and spectators would be staying here for the duration of the games. This is also great news. We hope the county sees a significant economic impact as a result and local businesses get a boost.

The county’s tourism bureau and other leaders deserve a round of applause for their work in enticing the Can-Am Police-Fire Games to Butler County, which has seen an increase in large-scale events in recent years, such as the Italian Festival, while other longtime festivals and events have continued to draw larger crowds.

The Can-Am Police-Fire Games’ decision to pick Butler County for its 2024 competition is a win-win for all involved.

It will be a boon for county businesses that will be patronized by those visiting the county for the games, and the tournament will benefit from being able to take advantage of the county’s terrific venues.

Monday’s announcement was a great piece of news to start the week.