pres867@aol.com

Alex Forrest joined the military (Combat Arms) in 1983 and after being honourably discharged in 1986 he served with the RCMP in Northern Manitoba before joining the Winnipeg Fire Department in 1989.  He obtained a Bachelor of Arts and then worked as a full time fire fighter while he pursued a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Manitoba.  He was called to the Bar in 1996 but rather than going into private practice he became President of the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg, an organization representing over fifteen hundred active and retired firefighters in the City of Winnipeg.  He has remained an active Fire Fighter throughout his years as President of UFFW.

Alex has close to 22 years of experience as a Fire Fighter with the Winnipeg Fire Department and has been President of UFFW for more than fourteen years.  He is a First Responder and has completed courses in Hazardous Materials and High Angle Response.  He has also completed the Officer’s Training Course and is currently called upon to Act as an Officer.  He continues to be President of UFFW and he is also Canadian Trustee of the I.A.F.F., which represents three hundred thousand fire fighters across Canada and the U.S.  Alex is Chair of the UFFW Political Action Committee and as such he has been very involved in lobbying to attain Presumptive Legislation for Fire Fighters across Canada.  He has a passion to ensure that firefighters diagnosed with occupational disease receive proper compensation and recognition.  He worked hard to make Manitoba the first Canadian province to receive Presumptive Legislation, and assisted in drafting that legislation, which was passed in 2002.  Since that time he has lobbied governments and met with and advised Premiers, and Ministers not only to extend the “Manitoba Model” to other provinces and other countries but also to improve the coverage provided to Manitoba Fire Fighters.  Seven Canadian Provinces now have Presumptive Legislation and Alex has been instrumental in this expansion.  In several jurisdictions, including almost every Province in Canada, Alex has assisted in drafting legislation and amendments to the Workers Compensation Acts to provide Presumptive Legislation to Fire Fighters.

During the course of the last two years Alex has been involved in assisting members of the European Union in their pursuit of Presumptive Legislation for Fire Fighters.  He has spoken to large gatherings of Fire Fighters and Political Leaders in Finland, Sweden and Ireland to name just a few.  He was recently instrumental when the European Health and Safety Award that was given to Sweden.  He has represented the I.A.F.F. as Policy Committee Member, EMS Representative for Ontario and Manitoba and Provincial District Service Representative for the Province of Manitoba.  He is the International Representative of the 13^th District (Manitoba and Ontario).  He has been involved in medical studies and has helped to educate medical doctors on the issues surrounding Occupational Diseases. 

Alex Forrest is the Vice-President, Prairie Region, for the Canadian Fallen Fire Fighter Foundation and has served on the Board of the Centre for Disease Control, Animal and Human Health, the Hazardous Materials Corporation and the CGSB / CSA Technical Committee on the Protection of First Responders from CBRN Events.  He has served as Director of the Manitoba Hazmat Corporation, the Joint Chair of the Winnipeg Fire Department Safety Committee and is the Media Spokesperson and Negotiations Chair for UFFW.  He has instructed seminars and has been a guest lecturer for many Fire Fighter organizations across both North America and Europe.  He continues to assist Fire Fighter Locals and to educate government officials in many jurisdictions about the science that proves a connection between occupational diseases and the occupation of firefighting.

19 Years as a Member of the Executive Board

Currently Vice-President of the Executive Board

Chair Grievance Committee, Member of the Winnipeg Labour Council and Labour/Management, Bargaining, Political Action and  Membership Committees

 dnaaykens@uffw.ca

rlaboss@gmail.com
 

12 Years as a Member of the Executive Board

10 Years as Secretary of the Executive Board

Secretary Bargaining, Communications, and Finance Committees,  Health & Safety, Pension, Political Action,  Membership, Labour/Management,  and Banquet & Ball Committees, MFL Occupational Health Centre Executive Board Member and EBB Pension Board Trustee, Delegate to the MFL Compensation Committee  and Winnipeg Labour Council, Winnipeg Labour Council Audit Committee, NFPA Delegate, Member of the Winnipeg Labour Council Audit Committee, Workers' Compensation Board - Board of Directors Labour Representative

 jhemphill@uffw.ca

7 years as a Member of the Executive Board

Currently Treasurer of Local 867

Co-chair Health and Safety Committee, Member of Grievance, Welfare  and Bargaining Committees

14 Years as a Member of the Executive Board

Currently an Executive Board Member

Chair Welfare & Memorial Committees, Secretary Human Relations and Health & Safety Committees, Member Winnipeg Labour Council, Political Action, Scholarship and Pension  Committees

 uffw@mts.net

tbilous@uffw.ca

4 years as a  Member of the Executive Board

Currently an Executive Board Member Chair Compensation Committee, Secretary of Political Action Committee, Member of Grievance, Welfare, Winnipeg Labor Council and MFL Compensation Committees.

cswayze@uffw.ca

3 years as a Member of the Executive Board

Chair of Banquet & Ball Committee, Co-chair of Welfare Committee, Secretary Bill Laird Scholarship Committee, Member Health & Safety, Pension and Political Action Committees

fire435@mts.net

 Member of the Executive Board

rescuefour@mts.net

Member of the Executive Board

Secretary of the Welfare Committee