Trumann Fire Chief Rick Winkles died Tuesday evening after suffering a heart attack after battling two fires, Mayor Sheila Walters said.
“I’m shocked,” Walters said. “We’re all heartbroken.”
Winkles, 53, helped put out a small grass fire Tuesday morning and then spoke with Walters before she left for an Arkansas Municipal League meeting in Rogers.
“We had a nice conversation,” Walters said. “He was fine. He never complained about any heart issues.”
But while battling a second grass fire on the edge of city limits about 2 p.m. Tuesday, Winkles told other firefighters that his chest hurt, and he experienced tingling in his arm, Trumann Police Chief Chad Henson said.
“The grass fire began burning a house,” Henson said. “[Winkles] grabbed a fire hose and was going to go in. He was always the first in and the last out.”
After complaining of the chest pain, a paramedic on the scene determined Winkles was having a heart attack. He was rushed to a Jonesboro hospital, Henson said.
“He had a full cardiac arrest,” Henson said. “Then he was gone.”
Winkles worked for the Fire Department for 28 years and became chief in 2004. He talked to Henson about retiring in April but had yet to decide if he would, the police chief said.
“This was a great guy,” Henson said of Winkles. “He was a good chief and a good father.”
Winkles’ son, Jeremy Winkles, is a member of the Trumann Police Department.
This is the third Trumann public servant to die while on duty in five years, Walters said.
Former Police Chief Larry Blagg died Jan. 27, 2009 - five years and a day before Winkles died - when a tree limb fell on him during an ice storm.
Police officer Jonathan Schmidt was fatally shot during a traffic stop in the Poinsett County town on April 12, 2011.
“It’s been unbelievable,” Henson said. “We keep getting kicked. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”
Firefighters from other towns, including West Memphis, Wynne and Jonesboro, will work at the Trumann Fire Department to allow the town’s six firemen to attend Winkles’ funeral. A date for the service has not been set yet, Walters said.
“It’s been very tough,” the mayor said. “The men in the Fire Department are all very close. It’s hit them really hard.”
Arkansas, Pages 8 on 01/30/2014