Former WFPS chief ‘never let us down’

Jim Brennan, 70, led newly amalgamated emergency service through on-job tragedy

By: Janine LeGal

A charmer, with a great singing voice and a propensity for story-telling, Jim Brennan was a regular at the Toad in the Hole pub in Osborne Village, and his passionate work ethic continues saving lives to this day.

Born in Bath, England, Brennan spent the first chapters of his life in Belfast, Northern Ireland, a place that remained forever his heart and soul.

Joining the St. John Ambulance service as a teenager, he later met Bernadette Norwood, who he married in 1973. Together they had four sons.

In 1977, during the instability in Northern Ireland, the growing family moved to Winnipeg, where Brennan continued his career as a paramedic, ultimately attaining the position of chief of the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service. Brennan and his wife eventually parted, proud of the sons they raised together.

Brennan died Oct. 8, 2023, at the age of 70. His celebration of life was, fittingly, held at the Toad in the Hole.

“It was his connection to home and where he was most in his element,” says youngest son Liam. “There were many great memories there.”

Brennan became WFPS chief shortly after the city services were amalgamated in 2007. With 30 years of experience as a paramedic, Brennan was appreciated by colleagues for helping to ease organizational transitions and the challenges of a difficult job.

“He was one of those special people, he really lived to help and serve others. He was a strong advocate of paramedics and workers,” says Alex Forrest, former longtime president of the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg.

“Winnipeg has one of the best paramedic response systems in North America. Citizens of Winnipeg are able to enjoy his legacy. He was the father of fire-based EMS (emergency medical services) and training paramedics.

“He was a great person to deal with, and had an ability to cut through needless bureaucracy… He was the first non-firefighter to be chief of a fire department as a paramedic,” Forrest says. “As (union) president, I went through seven or eight fire chiefs. I can say without any exaggeration, he was the best. He never let us down.”

At Brennan’s celebration of life, WFPS deputy chief Jay Shaw further outlined his impact on the emergency service.

“He was a leader, innovator and collaborator and one of my very first mentors as a young Winnipeg firefighter. Jim was a passionate advocate of EMS. During his tenure, his innovation and desire to improve patient outcomes and support staff with new training was very evident,” Shaw said.

“There are front-line Winnipeg firefighters and paramedics working today that have benefited from his vision to improve the training and skills for our residents who call 911.”

Tragedy struck Feb. 4, 2007, when the WFPS lost two captains in a house fire that injured four other firefighters, two of them critically.

“Chief Brennan was a crisis leader who understood the role of taking care of people in times of turmoil. His calm and steady leadership was a shining light for all of us to follow. In the months and years after that tragedy, he rolled up his sleeves and he went to work,” Shaw said.

“He worked with our labour partners exceptionally well and ushered in an era of collaboration, building new teams, securing new equipment and advancing new training.”

Julianna Trivers was introduced to Brennan at the Toad by a mutual friend, on the day his retirement was announced in 2011. The two became a couple and over the next decade, Trivers learned of many of Brennan’s adventures.

As a teenager in Belfast, Brennan joined St. John Ambulance after his father had insisted he learn first aid techniques. He remained involved for the next decade. As a cadet, he was called upon to provide support at concerts and other large events.

“It was at these concerts that he had the opportunity to meet various musical stars,” says Trivers. “He liked to tell of how Johnny Cash patted him on the head. How Diana Ross showed great kindness to the father of a sick girl who was in hospital and wasn’t able to attend the show. And how he got the autographs of all the Rolling Stones.

‘When providing first aid to an overwrought fan of the Stones at that concert, he told her that he had gotten their autographs and showed her the piece of paper. She took it from him and cried ‘I don’t believe you!’ and tore the piece of paper up. So that was the end of that.”

Over the years, the violent sectarian conflict known as the Troubles amplified existing divisions in Northern Ireland. The 30 years of strife resulted in the deaths of more than 3,500 people, injured more than 47,000 and traumatized the region.

“Visiting Belfast with Jimmy was a fascinating experience and it made me see how much his childhood (was) in a divided land and then the outbreak of the Troubles stayed with him,” Trivers says.

“In Winnipeg, too, the tragedies and sadness that he saw as a paramedic could re-emerge suddenly. For instance, once when we were at the Winnipeg Railway Museum, he matter-of-factly pointed out the location where he’d attended the remains of a tragic death on the tracks. Memories like these were never far away.

“I know that Jimmy was conflicted all his life about his decision to leave; he loved Ireland so much, but had made a life here,” Trivers says, noting Brennan had returned to Ireland 40 times.

“Very quickly I saw how central Jimmy’s family was to his life. He gave regular updates on what his mother, siblings, and extended family in Ireland were up to. He loved his sons to bits.”

passages@freepress.mb.ca