Paramedic Dean Wick was known as the ‘cardiac guru’

When paramedic Dean Wick died Dec. 18, his family knew it had to book a huge space, certain no funeral home could contain the expected crowds. They were right — hundreds of uniformed first responders and mourners poured into the Clifford Arena to say goodbye to a man who had saved hundreds of lives and mentored dozens of recruits over a four-decade career.

Dean exemplified what it means to be a first responder. “He was just a really warm, comforting person,” said daughter Carly Martin, a Waterloo Region paramedic and platoon operations superintendent. “He’s a perfect example of how impactful one life can be.



” Dean would say he was just doing his job, but he did so with such passion, compassion and innovation, she said. Dean always found ways of doing things better, more effectively. He served with the Region of Waterloo and Guelph-Wellington paramedic services, as well as being a volunteer firefighter for the Minto Fire Department.

He was born Dec. 17, 1956, in Palmerston, one of five kids. His parents, Don and Norma Wick, worked at Midwestern Regional Centre, a facility for developmentally challenged patients.

After high school, Dean wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, so he completed an auto body repair program and worked for a Palmerston garage until 1983. Dean Wick in 1993 as a volunteer firefighter Palmerston — now Minto — where he served 48 years. It was one of those meant-to-be moments when Minto fire chief Chris Harrow asked if he’d be interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter.

He had no inkling what he was getting into. It became a volunteer gig he’d stick with until just days before he died and it was one of the reasons he never moved from Palmerston, even though his jobs with the paramedic services were in Waterloo Region and Guelph-Wellington. “Pretty quickly he realized he liked it,” said his wife, Kate Wick.

“He was on the fire department since he was 18 and wouldn’t leave.” Dean never got over the thrill of the alarm, fighting fires on the front lines or, as it’s known, “being on the end of the hose,” said Harrow. For 48 years, Dean was on the end of that hose, leaping out of bed when the alarms went off in the wee hours, always ready.

That was true even a couple of days before he died, though he had finally agreed to be fire chief but only because he needed knee surgery and couldn’t do active firefighting. In 1979, Palmerston Hospital launched an ambulance service. At the time, they were not the highly trained medical professionals paramedics are today — but for Dean, it lit a spark.

In 1984, he graduated from Conestoga College’s ambulance and emergency care program and would spend the next four decades working as a paramedic, as well as taking several advanced courses. He also aced his course at the Michener Institute of Applied Health, graduating with 91 per cent in 1997. “He was super smart,” said Martin, adding he had a special gift for helping cardiac patients.

“They called him the ‘cardiac guru,’” she said. It sometimes meant he didn’t follow protocol but, for Dean, saving the patient was paramount. Dean taught at Conestoga College, and sat on provincial and college committees.

There wasn’t an aspect of paramedic service Dean didn’t have a hand in and, among his numerous awards, he received a Government of Canada EMS Exemplary Service Award. As Harrow pointed out, aside from his skill levels, Dean had a way of connecting with people on their level. As a leader and an instructor, he guided rather than dictated.

“His was a quiet leadership,” said Harrow. “He was always polite to everybody.” Dean and Kate Wick on their wedding day, Nov.

10, 1979. It was his kind personality that attracted Kate Murray from Moorefield. They met through friends, married in 1979 and had two children, Jesse and Carly.

Though family always came first, Dean also “showed unwavering dedication to his community,” said Martin. Then, last fall, stomach issues emerged. Without telling his wife he was in excruciating pain, Dean continued to work.

Tests revealed an aggressive cancer. He died Dec. 18, age 68.

“He was such a great person,” said Kate, adding he never took time off, such was his devotion to his job, to the communities he served. Dean Wick John Riches, chief of paramedic services for Waterloo Region, noted “Dean was a coach, a mentor and teacher to so many.” Riches estimated Dean coached or mentored 80 per cent of the existing staff.

“He will not be replaced as he was just so special.” Dean and Kate Wick in 2021 with grandsons Ty and Beckett Martin..