Kewitsch brings 25 years of experience in Minnesota’s fire service – and harrowing, first-hand understanding of the dangers firefighters face – to role
MINNEAPOLIS (January 2021) — Former Richfield Fire Chief Wayne Kewitsch has joined the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative (MnFIRE) as executive director. Kewitsch spent 20 years with the Richfield Fire Department, including the past nine as chief. He started his career in the fire service in 1996 as a paid-on-call firefighter for the City of St. Louis Park. He left an indelible mark on the city, its residents and its firefighters, with Richfield Mayor Maria Regan Gonzalez calling him “one of Richfield’s biggest heroes.”
Now Kewitsch is bringing his deep expertise and passion to MnFIRE, the statewide advocacy organization that equips firefighters and the people who care about them with resources to address the growing health crisis around cardiovascular disease, emotional trauma and cancer in the Minnesota fire service.
Kewitsch also brings a dramatically unique perspective to the organization and its mission, after two recent life-threatening cardiac
episodes. On July 1, 2020, Kewitch’s wife found him unresponsive and turning blue. Their oldest son started CPR chest compressions, and Kewitsch was rushed to M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center by paramedics from the Edina Fire Department, and shocked multiple times en route. At M Health Fairview, he was stabilized and had stents put in.
In August, Kewitsch had a second episode while driving on Hwy. 169 en route to Cross Lake. Kewitsch lost consciousness and, while his wife was able to grab the wheel, their vehicle ended up about 40 feet inside a marshy area adjacent to the highway. The vehicle behind them pulled over, and the people inside — unbelievably, a nurse and her husband — called 911 and waded in to help. He was flown by helicopter to the Twin Cities, where he was fitted with an internal cardiac defibrillator, which should prevent future episodes.
“I’m extremely lucky to be alive,” Kewitsch says. “My two brushes with death in the past year have reinforced in no uncertain terms the importance of focusing on the health dangers our state’s firefighters face. Education about how to navigate the health challenges associated with the job, and corresponding lifestyle changes, are critical to ensuring the health of Minnesota’s firefighters. I’m proud to be joining MnFIRE as it continues its strong focus on that very specific and important mission.”
Kewitsch is a member of multiple fire service organizations and has held leadership positions with the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association, the Minnesota Type III All Hazards Incident Management Team and was a board member for MN Task Force 1. He has a B.A. from Northwestern University and has successfully completed the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy.
The addition of Kewitsch to the MnFIRE team comes at a critical time, as more and more Minnesota firefighters are tragically losing their lives due to these health issues. In addition to cancer and cardiac-related deaths, four to six active Minnesota firefighters die from suicide each year. MnFIRE is currently working to provide all of Minnesota’s 20,000 firefighters with free health and wellness training after receiving a $400,000 grant from the Fire Service Advisory Committee. In addition to conducting MnFIRE Aware Trainings both in person and online at no cost to departments, MnFIRE offers a confidential, toll-free helpline (888-784-6634) for firefighters in crisis. The nonprofit is also spearheading a legislative initiative to improve access to care for firefighters in
need of treatment for cancer, cardiac and emotional trauma issues — the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program, which is working its way through the Minnesota legislature during the 2021 legislative session. Learn more at MNFireInitiative.com.
ABOUT MnFIRE
Since its inception in 2016, the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative (MnFIRE) has been dedicated to providing
Minnesota’s firefighters with the tools they need to prioritize and protect their health by focusing on the three
health problems most commonly experienced by those in the fire service: cancer, cardiac and emotional trauma. In
addition to spearheading the legislative initiative, MnFIRE trains Minnesota firefighters to become “MnFIRE
Aware” of their higher risks for cancer, cardiac issues and emotional trauma. The organization has already trained
389 departments, reaching approximately 7,900 firefighters across Minnesota. The organization launched a 24-
hour peer support hotline for firefighters struggling with mental health issues in 2018. For more information, visit
MNFireInitiative.com
