The death of two Saint-Urbain firefighters on 1er May 2023, in the context of a flood in the Baie-Saint-Paul region, results from several factors, including a lack of training and equipment, concludes the CNESST.
In its report published Thursday, the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) identifies several causes for this accident.
The Gouffre River then overflowed, flooding several sectors of the Saint-Urbain parish, we recount in the report. The two firefighters were trying to intervene near a residence surrounded by a flooded field.
As part of their intervention, the firefighters traveled in an amphibious vehicle equipped with tracks and an outboard motor.
Halfway through the trip, the vehicle began to drift and was swept away by the current. He had been pinned against a tree. The disappearance of the two firefighters was subsequently reported.
“The lack of training to carry out work near and above water exposes firefighters to the danger of drowning, while they do not have the necessary skills, knowledge and equipment”, concludes in particular the CNESST.
It also notes shortcomings in the management of the intervention.
“The lack of planning of preventive measures to manage flooding situations leads to poor management of the intervention, leading to the drowning of two firefighters,” concludes the CNESST.
She also notes inappropriate use of the amphibious vehicle equipped with tracks and an outboard motor in a flooded field, which led to the drift.
Several recommendations were therefore addressed to the National Firefighters Academy, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Security, the Union of Municipalities of Quebec and the Fédération québécoise des municipalities.
Among others, at the National Firefighting Academy, it recommends “addressing interventions near water in mandatory training courses in fire safety, by integrating the notions of safety during interventions carried out near water. water in firefighter I and firefighter II training, by integrating concepts related to the management of an intervention near water or in the context of flooding in officer I, officer I and non-urban officer training.