The death of the two firefighters swept away by the waters last May, while trying to help residents struggling with flooding in Saint-Urbain, was caused by inappropriate use of an amphibious vehicle as well as an absence planning and a lack of training.
This is what the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) decided on Thursday, in a highly anticipated report.
According to the organization, four causes are at the origin of this accident, including “the inappropriate use of an amphibious vehicle equipped with tracks and an outboard motor, in a flooded field with currents”, which ultimately led to the vehicle rolling away.
Furthermore, “the lack of planning of preventive measures to manage flooding situations led to poor management of the intervention, which caused the drowning of two firefighters,” says the commission.
Last May, firefighters Christopher Lavoie and Régis Lavoie were swept away by the waters of the Gouffre River, while they were trying to help citizens struggling with flooding in Saint-Urbain, a small town located half a mile away. -hour north of the town of Baie-Saint-Paul. It was then cut in two following a historic flood which isolated nearly a thousand people.
“He loved this job. […] I understand my son’s adrenaline, but how much influence was he in these decisions? Who is going to take responsibility for all this? », Davy Lavoie, the father of Christopher Lavoie, subsequently asked in an interview with The Press.
Deficient training
In its report, the CNESST also blames “the lack of training to carry out work near and above water”, a situation which “exposed firefighters to the danger of drowning when they did not have necessary skills, knowledge and equipment.
“The firefighters were swept away and submerged after their amphibious vehicle found itself stuck against a tree, by the current, while they were heading towards a residence to carry out a rescue intervention,” reports the organization.
The latter says he has banned any activity near water by firefighters who do not have the appropriate equipment and training. The employer will have to make corrections in terms of training, planning and equipment before it can start doing so again.
For André Bourassa, interim vice-president of the Quebec Federation of Fire Safety Workers, “it is obvious that there will be a lot of lessons to be learned from all of this, as there always are after accidents” .
“We don’t want a situation like this to happen again. Now, there will be the coroner’s inquest which will begin soon, so we will really have the whole picture after the whole process,” adds Mr. Bourassa.
A ton of recommendations
Several recommendations are made by the commission. At the Ministry of Public Security, she suggests developing guidelines to equip cities with the creation of civil security plans in the event of major disasters and ensuring the application of the municipal civil security plan, through mechanisms clear and established follow-up measures.
We also propose to the National School of Firefighters of Quebec “to address interventions near water in the compulsory training courses in fire safety” or to develop specific training for interventions occurring in a context of flood. The Ministry of Education is also invited to do the same for the professional studies diploma in fire safety.
The Union of Municipalities of Quebec (UMQ), the Federation of Quebec Municipalities (FMQ) and the Association of Fire Safety Chiefs of Quebec (ACSIQ) should raise more awareness among their members and municipalities, maintains the CNESST.
“To prevent accidents during interventions on or near water, municipalities must ensure that their firefighters have the training and equipment necessary to intervene safely, depending on the risks identified,” says her too.
Last spring, several observers also clearly mentioned the lack of training for firefighters in situations of major flooding. At a press briefing, Prime Minister François Legault did not rule out reviewing the training of firefighters. “We have to ask ourselves questions and we will do the necessary analyses,” he explained briefly, without elaborating further.