Burnsville police, fire departments closer than ever months after first responders killed in standoff
BURNSVILLE, Minn. — There is no expiration date for grief and no amount of time that can mend so many broken hearts.
"Trying to take in the reality of what has happened, losing the guys the way we did," Burnsville Police Chief Tanya Schwartz said. "It's just something always on a chief's mind that keeps you awake at night."
Schwartz and Burnsville Fire Chief BJ Jungmann sat down with WCCO for their first interview since the shooting death of two officers and a paramedic on Feb. 18.
According to investigators, Shannon Gooden fatally shot police officers Matthew Ruge and Paul Elmstrand, as well as firefighter and paramedic Adam Finseth, during a standoff. Sgt. Adam Medlicott was also injured, and is expected to make a full recovery.
Nearly six months later, both departments are working their ways through new realities.
"As horrific as Feb. 18 is, I think that unison is pretty clear that we're all in this together," Jungmann said. "I don't know any other way to say it."
Emphasis on wellness
The reminders are everywhere: at police headquarters, Elmstrand and Ruge's mailboxes remain untouched, while their pictures and other tributes hang in hallways and on office walls.
At Fire Station 1, Finseth's portrait sits alone on a memorial wall, because he's the first and only Burnsville firefighter to have been killed on the job.
"I just don't think people realize how much is still within these walls and in the fire department," Burnsville Police Deputy Chief Matt Smith said. "A lot of the time is really being intentional on checking on people. Making sure they're doing alright."
Neighboring agencies would cover calls for the first few weeks, but Smith said most Burnsville officers were back on the streets by mid-March. When they did return, he added, there were a number of wellness initiatives and mental health resources ready and waiting.
Those include a counselor's phone number posted boldly in the briefing room, the ability to exercise during shifts and the introduction of Doc, the wellness dog.
"It's hard to walk into a room with Doc and not see smiles on everybody's faces. I think Doc just brings the stress levels down," Smith said. "It's been so normalized to talk about your mental health around here that if you aren't open and honest with people, they'll get upset with you, and say, 'No I really want you to talk to me and tell me what's going on.'"
Short-term support, long-term strategies
As the first responders balance how to help themselves and their families, the chiefs are spending time figuring out how to respond to new threats and challenges. Both Schwartz and Jungmann acknowledged they have yet to formally review the shooting, but there have been several discussions among commanding officers.
"The questions in my mind aren't about the tactics," Schwartz said. "There's not about is there something that anyone did wrong because I think our guys did everything right. They did everything they possibly could to save everybody there that they could."
"The question becomes what's the right level of protection for everything we do?" Jungmann said. "Any significant fire event or medical event, we're there — and any significant event law enforcement is at, we're at, so it's a joint thing."
For police, bolstering levels of protection could mean more armored vehicles or installing bulletproof door panels.
"What about just our day-to-day driving in a squad car?" Schwartz said. "How do we armor up those things so we don't look like the military driving down the road, but our police officers feel like I have the equipment we need."
The discussion among firefighters, meanwhile, is centered around whether crews should also dress in ballistic vests and helmets.
"Ballistic protection is something we continue to evaluate," Jungmann said, noting that that gear is already stored in fire engines and rigs, but they could start to wear them more often. "We've asked our captains and chiefs for feedback."
Where both chiefs agree is how those in red helmets and blue uniforms are forever linked in a tragic past and a more collaborative future. The chiefs, often standing together during those post-shooting news conferences and then memorial service, are actively working together on strategic training and plans.
"I would say from my perspective, police do a great job of sizing up threats. We're used to sizing up buildings," Jungmann said. "They can help us think of tactics to keep ourselves safe; defensive tactics if we find ourselves in a situation where someone is threatening us."
"It's really just a give and take of that, and we're learning and I think what we've learned, even more so than what was before, is that we're all trying to do the same job," Schwartz said. "To take care of the community. At the end of the day, we have to work together to do that."
Where the teams are also working together is to ensure the names of Elmstrand, Ruge and Finseth, are forever engraved on the national memorials for police officers and firefighters in the Washington, D.C. area. A new foundation was established to help support those efforts, including to help bring as many of the fallen's colleagues to the nation's capital for the respective ceremonies next year.