The community paid tribute last week to Andy Thiessen as he steps down from serving as the Morden fire chief after decades of service.
A retirement celebration Oct. 15 at the Access Event Centre had a number of speakers salute Thiessen for the dedication and commitment behind his 45 years with the fire department, including the last 30 as chief.
“It’s a real honour to stand here today to celebrate a man who throughout his career has demonstrated dedication, leadership and heart,” said Kelvin Toews, president of the Manitoba Association of Fire Chiefs, which had Thiessen serve as its president at one point.
Toews praised Thiessen for a lifetime of commitment to the community and noted how he had also had an influence on firefighting across the province.
“He’s been a strong and steady voice for fire prevention through public education, believing that preventing tragedy is just as important as responding to it.”
Morden city manager Nicole Reidle noted how Thiessen has always genuinely cared about the well-being of the community.
“Andy had never been just a fire chief. He’s been a mentor and a leader and friend. His compassion for people and his commitment to service has defined what it means to be part of the Morden fire department family.”
In addition to thanks and congratulations from deputy mayor Doug Frost and Don Cruickshank, representing Portage-Lisgar MP Branden Leslie, the event also heard from deputy fire chief Tim Reimer, who called it an honour to speak on someone who has meant so much to the department and to him personally.
“That’s more than an career. That’s a lifetime of commitment,” he said. “You didn’t just fill a role. You defined it. You led with integrity, humility and a calm that someone made the hardest calls a little easier to face.”
Reimer noted that Thiessen has mentored generations of firefighters, and jokingly referred to his habit of trying to reassure the fire crew by saying that they would be “done by noon.”
“It was his way of steadying the ship,” he said.
“You’ve left a legacy that doesn’t retire with you. It lives on in the values you’ve instilled, the culture you built and the people you led,” concluded Reimer.
“It’s humbling”
“It’s wonderful seeing people come out to support you,” said Thiessen. “Throughout my whole employment here, people have prayed for me … every time they hear the sirens, they send out a prayer for us.
“It’s humbling. It feels great to know that you’ve got the support of your community and that’s why we give back so freely because it’s a great place to be.”
Thiessen said he had mixed feelings about stepping aside and called it a tough decision to make, but he jokingly laid the blame on Brad Neduzak, who retired this fall as Morden’s police chief after a similarly long career with the department. Thiessen recalled about 10 years ago when they joked about retiring at the same time.
“I started thinking about it a little bit, and it landed up being a good time for me as well,” he said. “I wanted to leave when the department was in good shape and I was healthy … the community was in a good spot, and that’s where we’re at.”
He acknowledged that it was time for others to take the reins and move things forward, but he also touched on the idea of the department being like family to him.
“I want to step aside. I don’t want to leave … it is a family, and you can’t get away from that,” Thiessen said. “You stand beside somebody who needs you, and then they stand beside you when you need them. You can’t just walk away from that kind of stuff.
“For a fire family, you do anything for it,” he reiterated.
Thiessen recalled having moved to Killarney at one point, and the Co-op store was right across from the fire hall, so the thought was planted as he saw trucks leaving and the sirens going off. He asked if they had any spots available, and he started the next day.
The rest, as they say, is history.
“That was the beginning of a long enjoyable volunteer full-time position,” said Thiessen, who also commented on always feeling supported by the town and then city councils at the time.
He also recalled one especially tough call which involved a house fire that took the lives of Lorne and Midge Kyle in 2020.
“Through that, we grew a lot as a department,” he recalled, noting that he did not want especially the young guys to go in to see the difficult scene.
“It’s pretty tough to break us,” he said, noting the need to be there when the members need some encouragement and support.
“There’s been so many good times and great calls that I will remember for a long time,” he added. “Knowing that I put something back into the community and the province … I feel like I can bring something to the fire service, but they’ve given back way more … that’s a really cool thing.”
Thiessen offered a bit of advice for his successor.
“Because we’re in a relatively small community … to respond to an incident, you’re probably going to know them,” he said. “You want to show them as much support as you can. They got themselves into a bad day, and you want to make that day a little bit better, and as long as you can do that with respect.
“Just be kind. Let them know they’re as important as anything,” he said. “And right now, they have one hundred per cent of your attention.”
