BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- People are showing up, donating, and growing their own to show solidarity for the brave men and women firefighters battling cancer. Move over Movember, it's the Kern County Firefighters Mustache Fest 2024. Delano hosts third annual Veterans Day Parade "They would grow them out long and then they would wet the mustache and then go into the fires and then it was an old wives' tale that they could breathe through the mustache through the smoke and they were able to get to the victims and rescue people," KCFD Battalion Chief Luke Roberts said. The competition full of curls kicked off Sunday evening at the Kern County Firefighters Union Hall in Bakersfield. The judges are looking for volume, size, creativity, and style. Chief Roberts added, "As a redhead we should always get extra points." 100% of the proceeds go towards a fund to help firefighters in their time of need. Ron Montecino, with the EMS Division, spoke about the importance of creating the fund, "Unfortunately, the last 4 or 5 years we've had 3 firefighters who have perished. 2 of them were because of cancer." Only one can be crowned Grand Stacheion. Montecino explained his trick on how to grow a good stache, "Genetics, age. That's pretty much it." People donate dinero, donate a raffle to an auction item, attend, or grow their own. It take patience. Never miss a story: Make KGET.com your homepage "Well, seeing what we have here I hope I do well," Mustache competitor Max Loomis said. Loomis says it took him 6 months to grow his mustache. He's not just doing it to win. He's doing it because he wants to make it his business to save lives too as a firefighter just like his father before him. "It's been a dream since I could walk. You know, my dad; he's a firefighter in Oregon and as long as I could remember that's what I wanted to do. I won't stop until I get there." Firefighters are exposed to smoke for weeks battling beasts like the Borel fire or face contaminates full of carcinogens from structure fires. Some have a mustache, some are pretending, but everyone at MustacheFest is respecting the stache and what it represents: being one of the helpers. "This is what we come together and do best: we help each other out," Montecino added.