(La Malbaie) The coroner’s public hearings begin on Monday into the deaths of two volunteer firefighters from Saint-Urbain who lost their lives on 1er May 2023 in the context of a flood in the Charlevoix region.
Chaired by coroner Andrée Kronström, the public part of the investigation will take place at the La Malbaie courthouse. A first series of hearings will take place from Monday to Wednesday, while other witnesses will be heard on April 29 and 30, as well as from May 13 to 17.
M’s investigatione Kronström focuses on the deaths of Christopher Lavoie, aged 23, and Régis Lavoie, aged 55, two volunteer firefighters who lost their lives after falling into the water while trying to help citizens. whose land was flooded following the overflow of the Gouffre River.
The investigation aims to propose possible solutions for better protection of human life, but does not aim to establish the civil or criminal liability of a person.
Monday, after the coroner’s opening statement and administrative procedures, several civilian witnesses and members of the Sûreté du Québec will come and tell their version of the facts. Marylou Lavoie, the daughter of Régis Lavoie, must notably testify.
Later during the investigation, other volunteer firefighters from Saint-Urbain, municipal elected officials and rescue experts will give their testimony.
In March, a report from the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) revealed more about the deaths of the two firefighters.
As part of their response, the firefighters traveled in an amphibious vehicle equipped with tracks and an outboard motor, but halfway through the trip, the vehicle began to drift and was swept away by the current, finding himself stuck against a tree.
According to the CNESST, “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” .
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.