Co-founded in 2016 by longtime Eden Prairie fire chief George Esbensen, the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative (MnFIRE) is an Isanti-based statewide advocacy organization focused on firefighters’ well-being. In 2021, with Esbensen as board president, the group rallied behind the nation’s most comprehensive legislation on the topic—and last year, the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program resulted in $1.9 million in insurance payments, 1,205 counseling visits for mental health, and 208 fire department trainings on wellness topics. Esbensen brings more than 30 years of experience of fire service to the board; he was Eden Prairie’s first full-time fire chief, and he is outreach liaison for Hennepin Healthcare. Late last year, he hired former state auditor Rebecca Otto as the nonprofit’s first full-time executive director.