Buck Hill hosts colorful fundraiser in honor of Burnsville first responders

South metro cities step up to help Burnsville

After the deadly shooting of three first responders in Burnsville, cities across the south metro have stepped up to cover emergency services in the city.

(FOX 9) - Buck Hill Ski Hill in Burnsville hosted a colorful fundraiser for the officers killed in the line of duty last week.

Chief Operating Officer Nate Birr said when their community was rocked by tragedy on February 18, they knew they wanted to do something to help. Monday, they hosted a night of snow tubing choreographed to music and lights with all sales going to the Law Enforcement Labor Services (LELS) – Benevolent Fund.

"We try to be as close to community as possible and we felt like it was a little bit of our duty to figure out how to give back," said Birr.

Staff at Buck Hill say Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge responded to the ski hill on various occasions and were familiar faces to many.

"We’ve worked with the two officers - one of them in particular - a handful of times, so the owner knew right away when he saw the photos and heard the names that it was someone who was close to us," said Birr.

Birr said while the event was mainly focused on raising money, it was also a good opportunity to get people outside and smiling after a very heavy week in their community.

The event raised more than $5,000 for the families of the fallen.