‘I knew I needed help’

Some things Owatonna firefighter Jason Karsten has seen have settled deep inside his heart.

During last week’s 2022 Firefighter of the Year celebration, held at the Owatonna Eagles Club, Karsten talked about his most memorable call, the rescue of three women whose vehicle had landed in water. Wearing a wet suit in the freezing cold, he got into the water to free the last victim from behind the steering wheel.

The doors were closed, the car was submerged. Later, he learned the woman was the mother of a family friend.

As another firefighter cut the woman’s seat belt, she popped into Karsten’s arms and he got her to shore.

“I thought she was gone,” he said, but later learned she was brought back to life. “That was one of my most memorable calls, because we saved this lady’s life.”

Other memories are not as positive. Karsten said he has responded to serious plane crashes, serious car accidents, many of them fatal.

“Those calls weighed a lot on me, and it affected me mentally,” he told the audience, which included members from the host Exchange Club of Owatonna, city officials, and firefighters and their families. “I got to the state of mind where I really didn’t want to talk to anybody. I was on edge. I would have pretty severe mood swings.”

‘I knew I needed help’

His mental health struggles also took a toll on his wife and children, his parents, and his Owatonna Fire Department family.

“Anything would set me off. I knew I needed help at that time,” Karsten said. “Every part of my life was affected.”

Several years ago, he reached out and talked to a therapist who helped him learn how to deal with what he had seen. It helped him, and he encouraged his fellow firefighters to “please talk to someone.”

“Don’t let it build up inside, because it hits home,” he said.

Karsten also thanked his wife and children, “they have been through a lot”, as well as past and present firefighters and the Exchange Club.

Asked why he chose to share his personal story, Karsten said he had done a lot of research and knows he’s not the only one in the fire service who struggles.

“Firefighters, police officers, EMS, we see there’s a lot of suicide with that,” he said. “I had to reach out and do something.”

After celebrating his 20^th anniversary as an on-call firefighter, Karsten thought about retiring, but said Owatonna has a young department and “I do have knowledge to help teach and help the new up and comers.”

“I’m thankful for the past 20 years,” he said. “I might have a few more in me, we’ll see.”

Along with a plaque, Karsten was honored with a plank bearing his name; it will be installed at the boardwalk in the Steele County Historical Society’s Village of Yesteryear on Austin Road in Owatonna.

A mentor and leader

Fire Chief Ed Hoffman, who selects the Firefighter of the Year, said he sent out an invitation asking for nominations. The result didn’t come as a surprise.

“We got one name coming up over and over,” Hoffman said.

Karsten is a great mentor and leader, he added, and shares knowledge from the work he does with the Minnesota Department of Transportation fire team. “He brings a lot to the department. The firefighters really support you.”

Hoffman also thanked the Exchange Club for honoring firefighters for the past 20 years, as well as all the retired firefighters “for everything they’ve done to get us to where we are” and current firefighters for their service.

“One group we don’t always acknowledge a lot is our spouses, our families, our significant others,” he said. “The calls come in whenever. We’re leaving family events, dinners, dates… We can’t do what we do without your support.” 

The evening included a presentation from 2003 Firefighter of the Year Leon Ellis, who shared stories about many of Owatonna’s major fires during his time with the department. Along with talking about each incident, he shared newspaper articles that showed photos of the department at work fighting business, house, and church fires.