(Above) Chicago police officers and fire fighters compete to see who can consume the most – and also the spiciest – chicken wings at a charity event Wednesday night at Dick’s Last Resort. (Click on images to view larger versions.)

10-Sep-15 – This just wasn’t the Chicago Police Department’s year at a charity wing-eating contest Wednesday night at Dick’s Last Resort.

Members of the Chicago Fire Department won in both categories – who can eat the most wings in two minutes and who can eat the most of the spiciest wings.

Fire fighter Aref Abdellatif, second from right in the above photo, won in the most-wings-in-two-minutes category.

For the third year in a row, Al Cousineau, at far right, of Hook & Ladder 2, west of the Loop, ate the most of the spicy wings, which made one competitor this year feel as if his moustache had been burned off.

Besides amusing a crowd at the River North restaurant for the fifth year, the first responders helped raise $10,000 for American Red Cross.

Bonnie Greene, news and traffic reporter for country music radio station US99.5, who event organizers had said would be a judge, filled in as emcee when WCIU television personality Aly Bockler could not attend due to a family emergency. Also unable to attend was Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza, who had served as a judge two previous times.

42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly showed up to judge but told organizers he could not stay for the entire event.

(Above) Reilly, wearing a Chicago Blackhawks hat, watches half-eaten chicken wings being weighed. Left of Reilly are retired Chicago Bulls center Dave Corzine and Art Norman, special contributor to NBC 5 News.

“Without Dick’s Last resort closing down the restaurant and donating all the food, the event could never be as successful,” says Kathy Posner, who created the annual event, held at Marina City almost every year since 2010. “If we had to pay for space, we could not sell tickets for only $25.”