BURNSVILLE, Minn. — George Esbensen knows trauma – he's seen it himself, and has helped those in need for years now.
"Incredible tragedy for everyone involved," Esbensen said.
"Of course, we started getting calls for help, you know, and resources almost immediately," he continued.
Esbensen works with the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative, a group focused on providing support for active firefighters both physically and emotionally. In the wake of two Burnsville police officers and a Burnsville firefighter paramedic killed in the line of duty, Esbensen says the number of calls they received jumped.
In a normal month, Esbensen says they received roughly 500 minutes of calls, or about eight hours.
"And in the first two weeks following the tragedy in Burnsville, we received 400 minutes of calls, just in the first two weeks," he said.
It's a number that doesn't surprise Esbensen.
"I guess what it makes me think of is, you know, just how statewide the impact is," he said. "Everyone's thinking about it."
That trauma isn't easy to cope with, whether you're in Burnsville or not.
"Maybe it brings to the surface for people that weren't directly involved, but are thinking about their own mortality, and other near misses they've had," Esbensen said.
It's why speaking to someone about this is important, he says. Esbensen knows that himself – he's the former fire chief of the Eden Prairie fire department.
"Nobody's immune to the rigors of the job, both physically and mentally," he said.
"It's really important to know for people that it's okay to not be okay."
There are other free resources that MnFire has available on their website. Esbensen says that includes the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program, a free program that gives firefighters access to the education, prevention and care needed to handle a cardiac, emotional trauma or cancer diagnosis.
You can call the MnFire Peer Support line if you need help or are in a crisis. That number is 888-784-6634.
Phone lines are answered 24/7 and provide confidential support, guidance and mental health resources.
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