Firefighters take care of their own during COVID-19 fight

Even during the trying times of COVID-19, Winnipeg's firefighters on the front lines are leaving no man behind.

Rick Sterzer, a former Winnipeg firefighter, was in self-isolation after returning from a Meditteranean cruise when he started to develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

"He was trying to get home and we tried to assist him as much as we could but it wasn't until he got back to Canada when he was quarantined that he started to get really sick," explained Alex Forrest.

Forrest, who is president of the United Firefighters of Winnipeg, says Sterzer's initial test for the coronavirus, however, came back negative. He was sent home.

But Sterzer continued to become sicker and was eventually admitted to the St. Boniface Hospital where he tested positive for the virus.

Forrest says Sterzer's condition continued to degrade to the point he was admitted to the ICU.

"They were very close to putting him on the ventilator," Forrest says.

Over the weekend, the grassroots movement of the firefighters took it upon themselves to pay a visit to Sterzer to help lift his spirits.

"There was a group of firefighters [on Saturday] who were on duty that went to the hospital ... they put up the aerial ladder and they had a tribute to Rick and they surprised him by coming to his window," says Forrest.

The surprise came after a particularly difficult night for Sterzer.

"Rick was taken aback, he had just had a very hard night," Forrest shared. "He actually told me that he thought that this was it, he wasn't going to make the night."

Sterzer's impromptu visit by his brothers on the front lines, which was coordinated with the help of ICU staff at St. Boniface, brought lifted his spirits.

"He was very touched that the firefighters would do this and I truly believe it's helping him fight this battle right now, knowing he has the support of over 1,500 of his firefighter brothers and sisters on his side," says Forrest.

There has been some improvement to Sterzer's condition, but Forrest says it is important for people to understand COVID-19 is no laughing matter.

"Rick is a firefighter's firefighter, he's one of the toughest of the tough," Forrest shared. "What was really hard is that he had retired and he's kept himself in good shape his whole life and almost immediately he has been diagnosed."

Forrest says Sterzer wants people to know that the coronavirus is not just the common cold.

"It's a very tough virus to shake," says Forrest. "Rick is a very strong man and he has been taken down by this horrible virus."

For firefighters working on the front lines during the coronavirus pandemic, Forrest says every day is a mental and emotional challenge.

"We aren't immune ... there's a lot of fear," Forrest says. "Every single day they're becoming exposed to possible COVID individuals and at the end of the day they have to go home and they fear they might be taking that virus home to their families."

"You can really see the firefighters go the extra mile ... It isn't a profession, it's a family," says Forrest, adding it is one of the many reasons he loves his work.

"It's not a job, it's a calling."