Superior firefighters know what it's like to lose one of their own. Battalion Chief Erik Sutton died by suicide in April 2018, a few weeks after retiring. Sutton, 46, was a 20-year veteran of the department.
"That is, as an organization, as an individual, one of the most challenging and difficult things that I've ever been through," said Capt. Lindzi Campbell of the Superior Fire Department.
For firefighters who worked with Sutton for years, it was heartbreaking.
"It's awful that we had to lose Erik and I'm still sad every day," said Suzi Olson, president of Superior Firefighters Local 74. "I still think about him quite a bit. But if one good thing can come out of Erik's passing, it will be that we can help others."
The SPD hosts a two-day peer support training program this week that focuses on the mental and behavioral health issues first responders face.