SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — A captain with the Salt Lake City Fire Department and paramedic instructor at a local community college has been arrested and charged with sexually abusing two of his students.
Christopher David Burk is accused of using his position of authority to assault the victims under the pretense of demonstrating medical assessments, some of which were reportedly not part of the curriculum, according to charging documents obtained by KSL.com.
Burk was taken into custody by Sandy police on Jan. 29. He faces six counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony and one count of attempted forcible sexual abuse, a third-degree felony.
Prosecutors allege that Burk exploited his roles as both a paramedic instructor and firefighter to target the victims, violating their trust during classroom training sessions.
Police began investigating Burk in October after a student reported he had inappropriately touched her under her shirt during an EMT class, claiming to demonstrate medical assessments, according to the charging documents. She said she was too scared to report the incident, fearing retaliation, the documents stated.
During the investigation, a second woman came forward, alleging Burk repeatedly targeted her for assessments in class, touching her inappropriately multiple times, the documents state. She also reported an assault during an August ride-along.
An EMT program employee confirmed Burk’s actions violated policies, including prohibitions on one-on-one instruction and physical contact under clothing. One victim dropped out of the program due to the trauma, according to prosecutors.
The Salt Lake City Fire Department acknowledged the allegations in a prepared statement, though it did not specifically name Burk. The department stated it is cooperating with authorities regarding the misconduct claims.
Burk remains in custody as the legal proceedings continue.
