Avera Medical Minute: Keeping the hearts of heroes strong for the mission

For nearly 30 years, Kurt Christiansen has put others’ safety before his own, but after losing fellow firefighter Fred Fedeler last year, the focus on his health has become a priority.

“My wife had been talking about maybe getting this done for a while, and that just makes you think harder about it and speed things up.”

Thanks to South Dakota Salutes, Kurt and two dozen of the Lake County volunteer firemen went through Planet Heart screenings to make sure they were truly healthy enough to handle the stress of the job. Kurt didn’t know what to expect but had a sneaky suspicion.