(Montreal) Deficient firefighter training and problems with the rescue boat used by the Montreal Fire Department (SIM) explain the October 17, 2021 accident that claimed the life of firefighter Pierre Lacroix, during a rescue operation in the Lachine Rapids, on the St. Lawrence River.
Posted at 12:18 p.m.
Updated at 12:34 p.m.
These are the conclusions of the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST), which released its report on the death of the 58-year-old man on Thursday.
On the evening of the accident, Pierre Lacroix was in the boat 1864 to carry out the rescue of two boaters, whose drifting boat was heading towards the Lachine rapids.
“After joining the yachtsmen’s boat, he and three of his colleagues carried out maneuvers in order to prepare for towing. It was at this point that the firefighter’s boat found itself in a trough, where water rushed inside, which led to its overturning, “says the report of the government organization, which also mentions the weight distribution of firefighters in their boat.
The four firefighters fell into the waves. While his three colleagues were fished out, Pierre Lacroix remained stuck under the boat. His body was located several hours later, following a search, and he was pronounced dead by drowning the next morning.
CNESST investigators implicate a reversing maneuver of the boat 1864, which fails because the engine does not give the desired power, given that it attempts a tow. The report also points out that the stability tests carried out on the boat did not take into account the effect of towing.
In addition, “the firefighters intervene on the basis of incomplete information during a rescue in a sector of the Lachine rapids which goes beyond the navigability limits of their boat”, deplores the CNESST.
Finally, the deficient training of the crew of the 1864 as well as responders from the riverside command post exposed the firefighters to the danger of drowning during a rescue in this unmarked area of the Lachine Rapids, the report mentions.
The CNESST served the employer, the City of Montreal, with a statement of offense under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (LSST). For this type of offence, the amount of the fine varies from $17,680 to $70,727 for a first offence.
The organization also recommended that the Ministère de la Sécurité publique set up a working group to determine the improvements to be made during nautical rescue interventions to protect the safety of responders.
The City of Montreal must react shortly to the conclusions of the report.
More details to come.