Backstreet Boys, George Strait help Berea’s first responders in lip sync challenge.

Berea’s police and fire departments used Backstreet Boys and George Strait in their Friday response to a lip sync challenge making its way through the country’s emergency workers.

The video posted Friday morning by the Berea Police Department started with Berea police officer Chris Neal asking his colleague Brent Bradley a simple question: “Have you ever thought about being a firefighter?” That’s when Bradley went into a deep thought and the video shifted to the Berea Fire Department headquarters, where the firefighters were ready to tell everyone about their jobs with a little help from George Strait.

Lip syncing Strait’s “Fireman,” Berea’s firefighters took viewers from their kitchen to one of their trucks. But as the truck was about to leave headquarters, it was blocked by two police cruisers and four officers.

The police officers, including Neal and Bradley, began lip syncing Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” to the firefighters before continuing the tune at their headquarters. (It’s worth noting the Kentucky connections of Backstreet Boys’ Brian Littrell, who is from Lexington and Kevin Richardson, who is from Irvine).

Bradley in particular, was most exuberant when he “belted” some of the big notes of the song.

The video concluded with Neal, now in his own cruiser, asking Bradley, “So what do you think, Brent? Still want to be a firefighter?” Bradley responds, “Nope, I want to be a police officer.”

Berea’s police officers then challenged the Madison County Police Department to do their own video.

The video from the Berea first responders follows lip sync challenges completed by the Lexington-Fayette Animal Care and Control department, Owensboro police and Henderson police. The challenge originated last month in Texas between the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and the San Antonio Police Department.