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When people think of firefighters, they might picture an image from a child’s book — a big man, wearing lots of equipment, maybe pulling a hose from a red fire engine or rushing to rescue people from a burning building.  

But firefighters are responding to far fewer fires these days and 

. Many 911 calls for chest pains, falls and drug overdoses are routed to the local fire department.

In his memoir, “Trauma Sponges: Dispatches from the Scarred Heart of Emergency Response,” Minneapolis Fire Captain Jeremy Norton describes emergency medical response as being the heart of the job.

Norton writes about the harrowing and heartbreaking scenes he witnessed over 22 years serving the city, and what he’s learned about the broken systems and racial injustice that leave many with nowhere else to turn for help.

Listen back to a conversation MPR News host Angela Davis had last October with Norton about responding to the sick and hurting, including a call to the scene of George Floyd’s murder. 

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MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Minneapolis fire captain and author Jeremy Norton about his memoir “Trauma Sponges.” Listen back to their conversation about Norton’s 22 years of being a first responder in Minneapolis, including a call to the scene of George Floyd’s murder.

'Trauma Sponges': A Minneapolis firefighter responds to suffering

A man poses next to separate photo of book cover

'Trauma Sponges': A Minneapolis firefighter responds to suffering

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