- Former Salt Lake Fire Capt. Christopher Burk was sentenced to prison Wednesday for sexually abusing EMT students.
- Burk asked for probation, saying he built his life around helping others and wanted to continue that.
- A prosecutor read statements from his victims who described the lasting emotional impacts of his abuse.
SALT LAKE CITY — A former Salt Lake fire captain was sentenced to prison Wednesday after being convicted of sexually abusing multiple students in paramedic classes he taught.
Third District Judge James Blanch sentenced Christopher David Burk, 47, to eight terms of one to 15 years in prison for forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony, and one term of zero to five years in prison for attempted forcible sexual abuse, a third-degree felony.
The judge said he heard testimony from seven women, five of whom were associated with convictions in the case, during the trial.
"These are significant offenses," he said, even though they did not involve rape or violence.
He ordered the three one-to-15-year sentences associated with crimes for the first woman to report Burk — who he said testified to more graphic and intrusive behavior — to run consecutive to the sentences associated with each of the other women, but concurrent with each other's sentences. This means Burk will spend a minimum of two years behind bars and likely more.
Burk "used his position of trust as a paramedic instructor and firefighter at a local station to prey upon the victims. (He) sexually assaulted the victims under the guise of demonstrating assessments, some of which were not part of the curriculum," according to charging documents. The women testified that they were inappropriately touched by Burk while he demonstrated how to perform certain medical assessments and procedures.
Request for probation
Before being sentenced to prison, Burk said he had thought about what happened since his arrest on Jan. 29, 2025, and how he should have handled situations differently.
"I had not fully appreciated the responsibility that comes with being in a position of trust. … There are boundaries that I should have made perfectly clear and respected at all times," he said.
He said he was "truly sorry" and actively listened to the testimony during his trial and thought about what the women said.
"I'm genuinely sorry for the pain and harm that my conduct caused. That is not something I will ever minimize, I can't take it away and it's definitely not something I will ever forget," he said.
Burk said he has completed the 273 courses available at the jail and sent daily letters to his family. He said he will not return to EMS or teach in that context as he recognizes now the boundary awareness and responsibility those positions require. But, he said his life has been "built around serving others" and he asked the judge for the opportunity to continue working in the community under supervision.
"I understand that trust is earned and it takes even more work to earn it back — and I'm prepared to do precisely that," he said.
Defense attorney Bradley Schmidt argued for probation, although Adult Probation and Parole had recommended prison. He said his client has no prior criminal or substance abuse history and has a good support system.
"The concerns that were raised about Mr. Burk can be addressed through probation," he said.
Consecutive sentences
Deputy Utah County attorney Samuel Comi argued that if the charges had not all been addressed in the same trial, Burk would have developed a criminal history that would have led to a presumed prison sentence. He asked that the sentences associated with each woman run consecutively with the sentences associated with the other women.
He said Burk's position gave him the opportunity to convince women he was training that his actions were normal, until one woman came forward and opened the door for others to do the same.
Comi said one of the women was abused over multiple years as Burk continued offering her more training.
In a statement ahead of the sentencing, Comi said Burk did not admit to wrongdoing, but claimed the abuse happened because he "taught females alone." The prosecutor said this was "causal dehumanizing language" showing disregard for the women he abused. He said probation was not appropriate because Burk doesn't believe he did anything wrong.
'You thought you could get away with it'
Comi read statements from multiple women who had testified during Burk's trial but chose not to speak in person on Wednesday. Many talked about being excited to learn about a new career, but were forced to leave that career path due to the ramifications of the abuse.
One woman's statement said: "There have been many instances after the assault where I should be feeling joy, but I can't get past the panic caused by my assault. I know that I have a long journey ahead of me for healing. ... All the other survivors and I will have to carry this emotional weight for the rest of our lives."
Another woman said she has nightmares of him finding her, and feels guilty that she let him get away with these actions, so he could harm others. She said Burk would say, "It's only weird if you make it weird." Although she repeated that in her head during the assault, she still felt "violated and gross."
She said she loved to follow fire engines as a child and had a dream of becoming a paramedic, but the abuse "smashed that dream."
"You knew exactly what you were doing and you thought you could get away with it. Short-term personal pleasure by abusing women will cost you everything important to you," she said.
Another woman said justice is necessary so that others will not experience what they did. She said she does not celebrate "his downfall" but believes in accountability.
Allegations against Burk spanned several locations where he taught CPR and EMT certification classes, Salt Lake Community College, Utah Valley University, Canyons Technical Education Center, a Salt Lake fire station in the Sugar House neighborhood and KSL Broadcast House. Two of the women who reported abuse from Burk were employees of KSL's parent company.
During his trial, Burk was found not guilty on five additional counts of forcible sexual abuse.
