Today, we lost a good friend and
a good man. Chief John Winn passed away this afternoon after a short but hard
fought battle with Mesothelioma. In addition
to being a beloved friend and Chief, he was one of us. He volunteered early in
our program to be trained as a Peer Counselor to help the men and women of the
Fire Department receive the counseling they needed to help them during difficult
times. In addition, he worked hard to embrace
all of the changes in the Charleston Fire Department in the last five years. He once told me that it was hard to accept
some of the changes but he knew that overall they were important to the safety
and well-being to all of his firefighters.
He always led by example and many
young men and women excelled in the Fire Service because of him. When others doubted the effects of a counseling
program, John encouraged firefighters to seek help. He was personally
responsible for getting scores of our firefighters into the counseling program
and was a valued member of our Team.
Personally, he was a trusted friend
always willing and ready to help anyone.
Whether it was by phone or during a late night visit to Station 11, he
would take the time to hear me out and offer his good solid advice. If he disagreed with you, you would know it but
you always knew where he stood and that you could count on him regardless.
I was able to spend a good deal
of time with him in the last three months as we worked on his “Big John” fire
truck. Even though he was not always
able to be there, we would look over the photos of the progress and enjoy them
together. He wanted this truck to be
used as a way to educate others about getting the necessary testing to find
life-threatening illnesses and we pledged to him that we would carry out his
wishes. So, with a renewed commitment, we will
complete this truck and begin the mission of taking John’s hopes and wishes to
others.
To Debbie, J.J. and John’s entire
family, we offer our most sincere sympathy.
Rest in peace, Brother, until we
meet again.
Gerald
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