APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – One week after an Appleton firefighter was fatally shot while responding to a medical call, the community continues stepping up help Mitch Lundgaard’s family.
Cash donations are going to the official ‘go fund me’ page and even dropped off city fire stations.
Chief Jeremy Hansen calls the death of Lundgaard, shot at the city transit center on a medical call, pretty unusual.
Typically it’s the fire calls that are the most dangerous.
“With your training and education that we have and the safe community that we live in, it’s very unusual for it to happen.”
Typically it’s the fire calls that are the most dangerous.
“If it happens when you’re fighting a fire, we kind of understand the risks there. But it’s very shocking when you go to help somebody and it turns out to be a very tragic event.”
Hansen calls the response from first responders around the state, and the community in general, incredibly humbling.
“We have such a tragic event turn so positively once you see the outpouring of support.”
Hansen adds the cash donations to the Lundgaard family, from the largest to smallest, has been a very special sign from a community that cares.
“We did have an elderly lady that probably walked about two miles to get here and gave us two dollars….and that was everything she had.”
He says a showing like that, and the concern expressed by so many others, has helped him get through what Hansen calls the worst week of his life.
