Winnipeg firefighter's death is call to action on struggles of first responders, co-workers say

Winnipeg firefighters are mourning the loss of their friend and colleague, who they say died by suicide earlier this month, and calling for better mental health supports for first responders.Warning: This story contains discussion of suicide and could be triggering for some people.

"He put everybody before himself. Whether it was your first day on the job or you were about to retire, Preston asked, 'how are you doing?' He took his time for everybody," said Garon, who called Heinbigner charismatic and highly intelligent. "For Preston, he's the type of guy that he cared about everybody so much. Even people he didn't know, he wanted them to get better," Garon said.

"It is a bit of a hurdle to be forthright and say, 'you know, I'm not OK.' I think Preston tried to do that but he wasn't really comfortable in being completely honest, which is the sad part. We loved him so much and the fact that he felt that he couldn't be forward and be honest … is really a tragedy."More mental health supports and resources are needed to make that decision easier, and Heinbigner's death needs to be a call to action, he said.

Psychological claims made to the Workers Compensation Board by WFPS members increased from 132 in 2020 to 236 the following year. In 2023, there were 201 claims, according to data provided by the city.Tom Bilous, president of the city's firefighters' union, the United Firefighters of Winnipeg, intends to do what it takes to have WCB declare a line-of-duty death for Heinbigner.

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