The recent suicide of Amboy Firefighter Andrew Karels that left a tremendous void in the fire station also spurred conversations about mental health struggles in emergency services.
Karel's death came weeks after a traumatic farm incident that involved the father of Amboy Fire Chief Manuel Sanders.
“Andrew had a huge heart. There’s nobody else bigger than his heart out there. In my opinion, great, great, great father, great husband, great friend,” Chief Manuel Sanders told KSTP.
Fellow firefighters are struggling following the loss of the one they turned to for his medical expertise.
In addition to leaning on one another, they are working with MnFIRE, a non-profit that was created to address the physical and mental health of Minnesota firefighters.
“There’s always more work to be done. The question remains, who protects the protectors?” asked Dr. Chris Caulkins, a suicidologist.
In a 2020 report, after conducting a survey involving more than 1,800, Caulkins called the results "disturbing."
“They think about suicide more than the general public. They attempt suicide more than the general public, and they die by suicide more than the general public,” he said about responders.
Sanders encourages firefighters to reach out.
“Don’t ever be afraid to go seek that help. Because everywhere you go, everybody’s been through some kind of difficult situation. And that, it don’t matter how tough you are or whatnot...Don’t ever be afraid to ask for it."
