‘He just lifts everybody up!’: B.C. man with rare condition becomes honorary firefighters

Adam finds out how a man with a rare condition earned a rare honour from a department of firefighters.

DELTA, B.C. — Watching firefighters in the movies may be great, Richard McNaughton says, but nothing beats seeing a fire engine in real life.

“The sirens and the flashing lights!” Richard smiles, before imitating all the different sounds the trucks make.

Richard — who lives with a rare genetic disorder — loved firefighter so much when he was younger, he’d regularly call 911.

“He would make up these grandiose, lovely stories to dispatch,” Richard’s sister Marcia McNaughton says. “And the (firefighters) would arrive, and he would be hanging out the window saying, ‘Hi guys! How are you?!’”

Although Richard was repeatedly told all the reason why he shouldn’t do that, he couldn’t stop.

“It came to one of those situations, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” Marcia smiles.

So, the team at Delta Fire, including now retired Chief Dan Copeland, invited Richard to visit one of their halls to show him the seriousness of their responsibilities.

“Right away he just grabbed the hearts of the firefighters and the department,” Dan smiles.

“When Richard first got to put on the oxygen tank and mask … he ran around the hall going, ‘Who ya going to call? Ghostbusters!’” Marcia recalls with a laugh.

That earned him the nickname Winston, after one of the movie’s characters. He also never called 911 again.

What impressed the firefighters most was not Winston’s passion for their profession, but his constant question, which is consistent with all first responders: “How can I help?”

“He wanted to be part of the crew,” Dan says, of his commitment and work ethic. “He didn’t know any different than, ‘Let’s get at this.’”

So, they let him. And after excelling at volunteering around the hall, and being an ambassador at public events, Winston was officially named an honorary firefighter and given his own uniform.

“It was shocking,” Winston smiles. “And amazing!”

Now, whether Winston’s wearing his uniform or not, he always carries around a first aid kit and is set to serve others.

“He’s the first one to run and help if someone falls,” Marcia smiles.

Winston was also the first one to call the firehall if something seemed off.

“The trucks would leave, and he’d phone and say, ‘Danny! They had their lights on, but they didn’t have their siren on!’” Dan recalls with a smile. “And I’d say, ‘Thanks for the tip, Winston. We’ll deal with that.’”

Richard was recently honoured for his 20 years of voluntary service with the department.

“They do some cool stuff for me,” Richard/Winston smiles. “And I appreciate all they’ve done for me!”

But the firefighters say they appreciate all that Winston’s done for them even more.

“This kid just lifts everybody up,” Dan smiles. “And if there’s some way that you can help someone fulfil their dreams and aspirations, it lifts you up too.”