Victims describe alleged sex abuse in former SLC fire captain, Chris Burk’s, pretrial hearing

Editor’s note: An employee at KSL has also complained to authorities about a CPR training with Burk.

SALT LAKE CITY — For the first time, the public is hearing from the victims accusing a former Salt Lake City fire captain of forcible sex abuse. A pretrial hearing was held on Tuesday in the case against Chris Burk.

Chris Burk, who has since been terminated by the Salt Lake City Fire Department, taught CPR and EMT classes throughout the region, including at Salt Lake City Community College.

The first victim in court said Burk took her to another room after class, alone, around 10 p.m.. She said he touched her inappropriately, under the guise of things like a broken ribs assessment. 

“I trusted him and I didn’t know what he was doing and I didn’t know how far he was going to take it,” the victim said.

The appropriate way to check for injuries

Several times in court, witnesses and lawyers discussed the appropriate ways to check for broken ribs, to check for a pulse from the femoral artery, and how to perform the Heimlich maneuver. The victims testified that those protocols differed from how Burk allegedly touched them.

At the end of Tuesday’s hearing, Chris Burk continued to plead not guilty to the charges of forcible sex abuse. He is scheduled for another hearing in two weeks, when the judge says they will set a trial date.

If you have experienced sexual violence, you can access help and resources by calling Utah’s 24-hour Sexual Violence Help Line at 1-801-736-4356 (English) or 1-801-924-0860 (Spanish). You can also call the Rape Recovery Center office line during office hours at 801-467-7282 or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 for free, confidential counseling.