A firefighter's job is never easy. It can be difficult, dangerous and heartbreaking. It can also be amazing, hopeful and wonderful when at the end of a call everyone is safe and healthy. However, for the firefighters the risks from the job, whether it is a physical ailment or mental scars, carry on far past the last blaze.
"There is a moral imperative to firefighting. People expect us to put ourselves in harm's way, to do what we do. That is part of the job," said Wayne Kewitsch, executive director of the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative. "That doesn't mean we can't try and mitigate and minimize the hazards we are exposed to, so we can live long and healthy lives."
Last summer, the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative, commonly called MnFIRE, was successful in getting the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program passed by the state Legislature.