Erik Swanson

Erik Swanson is a retired career firefighter from The York City Department of Fire/Rescue in York, Pa. In 2018, he was fortunate to have survived a horrific building collapse that took the lives of two of his fellow firefighters/good friends. Navigating the treacherous, uncharted waters of the aftermath of what he saw, heard, felt, and endured that day was not an easy task. The road to recovery was long and difficult, but the lessons learned from his physical and psychological journey are something he feels compelled to share in hopes they may help someone else who is struggling with PTSD. Now, after several years of recovery from a spinal cord injury, and the emotional shrapnel from that awful day, Erik has a new career, a new home, and a very different outlook on his future and life in general. It wasn’t easy getting to where he is today, but as he likes to tell people, “I am in a remarkably better place psychologically and emotionally than I ever thought possible, and perhaps my methods and the decisions I made at crucial moments can be a guidebook for someone else.” Erik strongly believes that if he doesn’t use his second chance in life to help others, he will be doing an injustice to himself, to those who have helped him on his journey, to the emergency services community, and anyone else searching for guidance in the wake of tragedy.