The Montreal Fire Department (SIM) has followed the recommendations of the report by Coroner Me Géhane Kamel filed the tragic death of firefighter Pierre Lacroix on Thursday.
Firefighter Pierre Lacroix died in an emergency rescue in the Lachine Rapids of the Saint Lawrence River in October 2021. He drowned, trapped under the hull of an overturned boat. The report of the public inquiry into this death was prepared by Coroner Me Go camel Thursday.
In addition to compiling the chronology of events, the coroner found that the firefighters’ training in sea rescue was inadequate at the time of the operation. She also pointed out deficiencies in the firefighters’ equipment.
Since the tragedy, the SIM has set up a committee “composed of qualified instructors to review the service offering, training and maintaining the skills of the firefighters who are part of the nautical rescue team. This committee will incorporate the coroner’s recommendations into its considerations and proposals,” the city of Montreal said in a news release on Friday.
The boat used by the team Mr. Lacroix took part in during the rescue – the Hammerhead 1864 – was pointed out as having shortcomings for this type of intervention. The SIM specifies “before the tragic event, it carried out a process to acquire 12 high-performance boats, specially designed for the nautical rescue mission and equipped with several state-of-the-art devices. This new fleet will gradually enter service from May 2023.”
Géhane Kamel also made several recommendations to metro Montreal cities for better signage for residents and boaters approaching the Lachine Rapids.
In fact, boaters rescued by firefighters tonight in October 2021 knew of the existence of the Lachine Rapids, “but none of them have measured the deadly potential.” This situation [à] it alone is problematic and shows that citizens are not aware of the dangers of navigation on the river,” wrote Dr.e camel in his report.
The City of Montreal did not specify in its press release how it intends to implement the recommendations for better signage and avoidance of shipping accidents.
“The death of our brave colleague Pierre Lacroix is a tragic event and to this day I admire the courage and commitment he has shown throughout his career,” said Richard Liebmann, director of the fire safety department, security coordinator for the agglomeration Montréal. I offer my deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. »
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