. LESS NOW THAT POLICE CHIEF TANYA SCHWARTZ AND FIRE CHIEF BJ. GENTLEMAN, COME AND SHARE THEIR PERSPECTIVE AND THEIR WORDS . GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. MY NAME IS TANYA SCHWARTZ AND I'M THE BURNSVILLE POLICE CHIEF. I STAND BEFORE YOU TODAY WITH A HEAVY HEART AND A RANGE OF EMOTIONS AS WE HONOR THESE FALLEN HEROES, I OFFER MY DEEPEST CONDOLENCES TO THE RUYIGI ELM STRAND AND FINSETH FAMILIES. TO LOSE A BROTHER, A HUSBAND, A FATHER, A SON, A GRANDSON IS DEVASTATING AND MY HEART BREAKS FOR ALL OF YOU. THE BURNSVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE ENTIRE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNITY SHARE IN THE LOSS OF OUR BELOVED BROTHERS. I'D BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T ACKNOWLEDGE THE GRIEF THAT CHIEF JUNGMAN AND OUR BURNSVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT PARTNERS ARE GOING THROUGH. WE MAY WEAR DIFFERENT UNIFORMS, BUT TOGETHER WE WILL GET THROUGH THE DIFFICULT DAYS AHEAD. THE SUPPORT WE'VE RECEIVED FROM OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN BLUE, BROWN, MAROON, AND EVERY OTHER COLOR THAT I SEE IN THIS SPACE HAS BEEN ABSOLUTE UNBELIEVABLE. IT WAS HEARTWARMING TO SEE HUNDREDS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS, FIREFIGHTERS, EMS STANDING AT ATTENTION WHEN WE LEFT THE HOSPITAL ON THAT TERRIBLE MORNING IN JUST OVER A WEEK AGO, BEFORE WE WALKED OUT THOSE DOORS INTO A SEA OF YOUR SUPPORT, THE STAFF AT HENNEPIN COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER CARED FOR US IN THE EARLIEST AND MOST SHOCKING HOURS OF OUR GRIEF. TO OUR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNITY, YOU HAVE EMBRACED US. YOU HAVE DROPPED OFF GIFTS. YOU HAVE STOOD GUARD AT THE HOSPITAL. YOU HAVE KEPT OUR COMMUNITY SAFE WHILE WE HAVE BEEN GRIEVING AND TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THIS TRAGEDY. AND WE KNOW THAT YOU ARE GRIEVING TOO. YOU HAVE GIVEN US STRENGTH WHEN WE HAVE NEEDED IT THE MOST. WE WILL NEVER FORGET WHAT YOU HAVE DONE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING OUR SIX. WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE YOURS. THE WORLD OF LAW ENFORCEMENT IS UNIQUE. IT TAKES A STRONG, RESILIENT, SELFLESS PERSON TO CHOOSE THIS PROFESSION. I THINK MOST IN THIS ROOM WOULD AGREE IT'S NOT A JOB. IT'S A CALLING TO SERVE. AND WE DO IT BECAUSE IT'S AN HONOR. WE DO IT TO HELP OTHERS, TO PROTECT THE MOST VULNERABLE, AND TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITIES SAFER. WE DO IT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. JUST AS MATT AND PAUL DID. UNFORTUNATELY PINNING ON OUR BADGE MEANS SACRIFICE. SO SACRIFICE FOR THE OFFICERS, SACRIFICE FOR THE FAMILIES IS. OVER THE PAST WEEK, WE HAVE SEEN THE WORST AND THE BEST OF WHAT THE LAW ENFORCEMENT CALLING BRINGS. THE ABSOLUTE WORST BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 18TH WITH THE LOSS OF THESE HEROES. AS I STRUGGLED TO MAKE SENSE OF WHAT HAPPENED THAT MORNING, I WAS REMINDED THAT PAUL, MATT, AND ADAM WERE DOING WHAT THEY WERE CALLED TO DO, WHICH WAS PROTECTING THOSE IN HARM'S WAY. THEY GIVE UP THEIR LIVES TO PROTECT OTHERS AND TO PROTECT EACH OTHER. AND I ASK THAT YOU JUST REFLECT ON THAT FOR A MOMENT. THESE BRAVE MEN TOOK AN OATH TO KEEP THE COMMUNITY SAFE. AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THEY DID. THAT MORNING. THEY DIED. I WILL BE FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR THEIR SACRIFICE. AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, WE PLACE A MOURNING BAND ACROSS OUR BADGES FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF ONE OF OUR FALLEN PUBLIC SAFETY HEROES IN BURNSVILLE. OUR BAND DEPICTS THE THIN BLUE LINE, THE THIN BLUE LINE, AND THE RED LINE THAT OUR FIRE AND PARAMEDIC PARTNERS HONOR DOES NOT REPRESENT. DIVISION IN, BUT RATHER SOLIDARITY, SELFLESSNESS, COURAGE, BRAVE, FREE, AND THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE. AS I LOOK AROUND THIS ROOM, I CANNOT HELP BUT THINK ABOUT THE SENSE OF SOLIDARITY THAT SURROUNDS US AS WE GRIEVE AND HONOR OUR FALLEN TOGETHER. WHEN WE LOSE A BROTHER OR SISTER IN THIS TRAGIC WAY, WE ARE OFTEN ASKED, WHY WOULD WE CONTINUE TO DO THIS? AND WHY WOULD WE CONTINUE TO SHOW UP EACH DAY AND THOSE IN UNIFORM SIMPLY SAY, BECAUSE IT'S RIGHT, BECAUSE IT'S NEEDED, BECAUSE IT'S WHO WE ARE. SO THANK YOU FOR PUTTING YOUR UNIFORM ON. AND THE MOST CHALLENGING AND DANGEROUS TIMES IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. AND DOING IT EVERY DAY. SINCE OUR BROTHERS WERE KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY. I'M HONORED TO SERVE WITH ALL OF YOU AND I KNOW OUR FALLEN WERE HONORED AS WELL. FOR THOSE WHO STRUGGLE. AND THERE WILL BE STRUGGLE, WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS TOGETHER. WE WILL TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER, BE STRONG, BE COURAGEOUS, AND REMEMBER OUR COMMUNITIES NEED US. ON JULY 21ST, 2019, OFFICER PAUL STRAND AND ON APRIL 13TH, 2020, OFFICER MATT RUDY TOOK AN OATH TO SERVE THE BURNSVILLE COMMUNITY. THEIR CAREERS WERE OFF TO A BRIGHT START, AND BOTH WERE PROUDLY WEARING THE BURNSVILLE BADGE. THEY KNEW IT REPRESENTED AUTHORITY, BUT MORE THAN THAT, THEY KNEW IT REPRESENTS SERVICE AND SACRIFICE. BUT THEY KNEW IT REPRESENTED A TRUSTED RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR COMMUNITY. MATT BROUGHT A SMILE AND A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TO HIS WORK. EVERY DAY. HE WAS ONE OF THE DEPARTMENT'S HOSTAGE NEGOTIATORS, A ROLE HE SERVED IN DUE TO HIS CALM DEMEANOR, HIS GREAT TONE AND HIS EMPATHY. HE WAS PASSIONATE ABOUT HELPING PEOPLE SUFFERING IN CRISIS. ALWAYS HUMBLE AND WILLING TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY, MATT SERVED WITH COMPASSION TO PROTECT THE VULNERABLE. PAUL WAS PART OF THE DEPARTMENT'S HONOR GUARD, WHICH TRULY BECAME A PASSION FOR HIM. AS YOU HEARD SO MUCH SO HE APPLIED FOR THE STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION , HONOR GUARD AND HE WAS RECENTLY SELECTED. HE WANTED TO PROVIDE UNWAVERING SUPPORT TO FAMILIES, ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE FALLEN. THE IRONY OF THAT IS NOT LOST ON ME. MATT AND PAUL LOVED BEING POLICE OFFICERS. THEY DID THE JOB SELFLESSLY, WITH INTEGRITY, HONOR AND COURAGE. THEY KNEW THE DANGERS, BUT IT NEVER DETERRED THEM. ON FEBRUARY 18TH, THEY PAID THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE WHILE TRYING TO PROTECT CHILDREN IN THEIR BRAVERY AND WILLINGNESS TO PUT THEMSELVES BEFORE OTHERS IS WHY THE WORD HERO IS NOW SYNONYMOUS WITH EACH OF THEIR NAMES. TO THOSE WHO WEAR THE TITLE OF FAMILY MEMBER, THANK YOU WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH. YOU SHARE IN THE CRITICISM, EMOTION, PAIN, AND BURDEN TIED TO THE PROFESSION. YOU ARE THE BACKBONE THAT KEEPS US GOING THROUGH THE HARD HOURS, LONG SHIFTS AND HORRIFIC CALLS. IN THIS PAST WEEK, YOU SHARED IN OUR WORST NIGHTMARE WHEN MEMBERS OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY FAMILY WERE KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY. WE KNOW YOUR GRIEF IS IMMENSE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR SACRIFICE TO THE ROUGE, ELM, STRAND AND FINSETH FAMILIES. YOUR LIVES ARE FOREVER CHANGED AND OUR DEPARTMENTS WILL NOT BE THE SAME WITHOUT THESE FALLEN HEROES. PLEASE ACCEPT MY HEARTFELT THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR LOVED ONES WITH THE BURNSVILLE COMMUNITY. WE ARE ALL BETTER FOR KNOWING THEM. MATT AND PAUL CHOSE THIS CAREER TO KEEP PEOPLE IN OUR CITY SAFE, AND THEY GAVE THEIR LIVES DOING JUST THAT. IT FEELS CRUEL. THERE ARE NO WORDS TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT COMFORT. ALL WE CAN DO IS PROMISE YOU OUR SUPPORT AND WE ASSURE YOU THAT WE WILL FOREVER BE BY YOUR SIDE. I CANNOT IMAGINE THE WHOLE THEIR DEATHS HAVE LEFT IN YOUR LIVES. NAVIGATING A NEW NORMAL WITHOUT THEIR HUGS, THEIR SMILES, THEIR KINDNESS, AND ALL OF THE THINGS YOU LOVE DEARLY ABOUT THEM. IT WILL BE DIFFICULT AND IT WILL TAKE TIME. I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE OUR UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO CONTINUE TO WALK ALONGSIDE OF YOU. TO OUR FALLEN HEROES. THANK YOU. WE MISS YOU KNOW, THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO WEAR THE BADGE WITH HONOR AND SERVE WITH COURAGE. JUST AS YOU DID. KNOW THAT THIS WILL NOT BREAK US AND WE WILL FIND PEACE, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT YOU WOULD WANT US TO DO. KNOW THAT WE WILL NEVER GIVE UP BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT WE WILL LAY OUR BURDENS AND OUR GUILT DOWN, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT YOU WOULD WANT US TO DO. KNOW THAT YOU WILL FOREVER BE MISSED, BUT WE WILL ALWAYS BE UNITED. KNOW THAT YOU CAN REST EASY AND WE'VE GOT IT FROM HERE. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. I AM BJ JUNGMANN, THE FIRE CHIEF FOR THE CITY OF BURNSVILLE. I'M HONORED TO SPEND A FEW MINUTES TALKING ABOUT FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC ADAM FINSETH. WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE ADAM FINSETH AS A FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC ON OUR TEAM FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS. AS THE FIRE CHIEF, IT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE WE HIRE THE HIGHEST QUALITY PEOPLE WITH IMPECCABLE CHARACTER TRAITS TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY IN OUR DEPARTMENT. WE DO THIS BY USING OUR FOUR CULTURAL VALUES TO GUIDE WHO WE HIRE, WHAT WE EXPECT, AND HOW WE ACT. OUR FOUR CULTURAL VALUES ARE CORE CHARACTER, COMMUNICATION, COLLABORATION, AND COMPETENCE. ADAM WAS EXEMPLARY OF THESE FOUR CULTURAL VALUES. I ONLY HAVE TIME TO TALK ABOUT ONE OF THESE TODAY. SO I CHOSE TO FOCUS ON THE CHARACTER VALUE WE DESCRIBE THIS VALUE THROUGH THREE WORDS DEDICATION, AN HONOR, AND INTEGRITY. ADAM DISPLAYED EXTREME DEDICATION TO THE DEPARTMENT. ADAM WAS ALWAYS WORKING TO IMPROVE HIMSELF, BEING A FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC WAS NOT ENOUGH FOR HIM. HE TOOK ON ADDITIONAL ROLES. ADAM WAS A VERY ACTIVE MEMBER OF OUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS COMMITTEE, WHICH FOCUSED ON TAKING CARE OF OUR FIREFIGHTERS SO THEY CAN BETTER CARE FOR THEMSELVES. BOTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY. ADAM WAS ALSO A TACTICAL PARAMEDIC ON THE SWAT TEAM, WHICH WAS ABOUT TAKING CARE OF OTHERS WHO PUT THEMSELVES IN EXTREME DANGER TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY. ADAM WAS ALSO A WATER RESCUE INSTRUCTOR, ENSURING ALL OF OUR STAFF ARE PREPARED TO RESCUE THOSE THAT FIND THEMSELVES FALLING THROUGH THE ICE OR DROWNING IN A BODY OF WATER. HE WAS A TRULY DEDICATED MEMBER OF THE BURNSVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT. ADAM WAS THE EPITOME OF HONOR. THE PROFESSION ITSELF IS HONORABLE. ADAM HAD A PROPENSITY TO SEEK OUT THESE HONORABLE PROFESSIONS, AND HE HE HE SOUGHT THEM OUT NOT FOR THE GLORY, BUT BECAUSE HE WANTED TO SERVE HONORABLY. ADAM STARTED HIS CAREER BY SERVING OUR COUNTRY IN THE ARMY, THEN ADAM CONTINUED BY SERVING HIS LOCAL COMMUNITY AS A FIREFIGHTER AND A PARAMEDIC AT HIM HAD A SERVANT'S HEART AND WAS THE MOST HUMBLE PERSON YOU COULD MEET. WITHOUT EXCEPTION, OFTEN THE FIRST QUESTION OUT OF ADAM'S MOUTH WHEN YOU WOULD SEE HIM WAS HOW IS THE FAMILY? THESE EXAMPLES DON'T SPEAK OF A MAN SEEKING GLORY. THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF AN HONORABLE MAN SERVING HONORABLY. ADAM DISPLAYED THE HIGHEST DEGREE OF INTEGRITY I'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET TO KNOW SOME OF ADAM'S FAMILY OVER THE PAST WEEK . NOT SURPRISINGLY, I FOUND THAT ADAM WAS THE SAME AT HOME AS HE WAS ON THE JOB. ADAM'S CONSISTENCY OF CHARACTER IS THE DEFINITION OF INTEGRITY. THERE WERE NO SURPRISES. HE TREATED EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY AS HE WOULD WANT TO TREAT HIS OWN FAMILY. WE KNOW SOMEONE'S TRUE CHARACTER AND HOW THEY WILL. WE DON'T KNOW SOME SOMEONE'S CHARACTER AND HOW THEY WILL RESPOND UNTIL THEY ARE TESTED. AS I OBSERVED AND I WORKED ALONGSIDE ADAM IN HIS CAREER AS A FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC. AND WHAT WE ALL KNOW ABOUT THE ACTIONS DURING HIS FINAL MOMENTS OF HIS LIFE, I CAN SAY WITHOUT RESERVATION, FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC ADAM FINSETH WAS TRIED . HE WAS TESTED AND HE WAS FOUND WORTHY. ADAM DIED HELPING HIS COMRADES WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT. I'M GOING TO MISS HIM GREATLY. IT'S BEEN A TOUGH WEEK, BUT I CAN SAY THE LEVEL OF CHARACTER I'VE SEEN AND EXPERIENCED, NOT ONLY OF ADAM, BUT EVERYONE WHO CONTINUES TO SERVE MAKES ME PROUD. I WOULD CHALLENGE EVERYONE WHO IS ATTENDING THIS MEMORIAL SERVICE TO HONOR ADAM DAILY BY EMULATING HOW HE HAD CONSISTENTLY ACTED. JUST TAKE ONE THING ADAM DID AND EMULATE IT CONSISTENTLY. IF EVERYONE DID THE THINGS ADAM DID , THE WORLD WOULD BE A KINDER AND MORE LOVING PLACE. TO ADAM, PAUL AND MATT'S FAMILIES, I WANT YOU TO KNOW YOUR PUBLIC SAFETY FAMILY IS WITH YOU NOW, NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE. TODAY WE PAY TRIBUTE AND GIVE HONOR. TO MORROW WE WILL GET BACK TO THE HONORABLE WORK OF SERVING OTHERS . MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHO SERVE TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES AS I'D LIKE TO CLOSE WITH THIS QUOTE, THE TRUEST HEROES DON'T CHOOSE TO DIE. THEY CHOOSE TO LIVE A LIFE WHERE FACING DEATH IS A POSSIBILITY, BE DRIVEN BY THE LOVE THAT COMPELS THEM TO PROTECT OTHERS. IT'S BEEN A PRIVILEGE TO SERVE WITH YOU, ADAM. GOD BLESS YOU AND WE WILL MISS YOU
