Manitoba firefighters pay tribute to fallen colleague

Firefighters from across Manitoba came together to remember the life of a Winnipeg firefighter while renewing their calls for greater mental health supports for first responders.

Firefighters filled the visitor’s gallery in the legislature and MLAs from all stripes marked a moment of silence for the life of Preston Heinbigner, a Winnipeg firefighter who died from suicide on April 9. 

“We are a close-knit family, when one of us hurts, we all hurt.”

Tom Bilous, the President of United Firefighters of Winnipeg

Heinbigner’s widow Shayda, along with the rest of the family, watched from the speaker’s gallery.

The premier along with hundreds of firefighters then made their way down the road to the Manitoba Fallen Firefighter Memorial, marking another moment of silence and reminiscing about the type of person Heinbigner was.

“His assertiveness, encouraging nature, and gregarious attitude was the same that day as it was at the end,” said Stephen Nixon, United Firefighters Winnipeg’s Compensation Chair.

Nixon a close friend of Heinbigner, said he sought for help, but the system failed him.

“We see everyone when they need the help. Unfortunately for most of us, that plays a toll. We are extremely busy in the city, Preston was stationed downtown, #1 station where they are very busy. Over the past three years that takes a toll on you.”

The province pledged Monday to allocate three counsellors to work with firefighters, police and paramedics.

Premier Wab Kinew also committed to further work with firefighters all across the province to provide the necessary supports they need.

“What we need to do to get it right is to ensure that the voice of the firefighters, law enforcement and paramedics have a chance to match that up to the needs of their members. We’re going to be flexible and tailor that for each of those fields,” explained Kinew.

Bilous added, “We need some things outside of the box to remove the stigma and the optics of saying ‘I’ve got a problem.’ We’ve gotten a lot better since the 70s but we still have room to improve.”

The firefighters union is gearing up for what they expect to be a challenging time proving to the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba that Heinbigner’s death was caused by on-the job PTSD.

“We will leave no stone unturned, no mattress unflipped, no bedroom unchecked and no corner unswept in order to get you your PTSD diagnosis,” said Nixon.