He died in October 2021 while trying to rescue two drifting boaters in the Lachine Rapids. His death had rocked Quebec.

“All witnesses described him as a careful, conscientious, and unifying firefighter,” writes M^e Camel. The father of two children is a “committed man who had the rescue operation tattooed on his heart”.

In a 55-page report, the medical examiner traces the frightening chronology of this October 17th. The boater and his friend had only planned about twenty minutes on the river to test their newly acquired boat.

The boaters left Saint-Louis Park in Lachine. Her engine then overheated and stalled. They tried several times to make it work while drifting. The boat passed under the Honoré Mercier Bridge and headed for the Champlain Bridge. At 7:05 p.m., as it was getting dark, they called 911.

Boaters knew of the existence of the Lachine Rapids, “but none of them measured the lethal potential. This situation in itself is problematic and shows that citizens are not paying attention to the dangers of river navigation,” complains Dr.^e Camel.

A rescue that turns into a tragedy

At 19:17, four firefighters from the Montreal Fire Department (SIM), including Pierre Lacroix, launched their boat, a Hammerhead 1864, and steered toward the drifting boaters as quickly as possible.

But the attempted towing turns tragic. The Hammerhead is in the trough, the sailing boat at the top. The two boats collide, water pours into the Hammerhead, which capsizes.

Three firefighters find themselves under the hull while a fourth ejects and drifts away. Two firefighters were rescued under the hull and one was found adrift 23 minutes later.

Pierre Lacroix’s body was fished out from under the fuselage the next morning. He died by drowning.

Formation and Exclusion Zone

“On the evening of October 17, 2021, none of the firefighters had rapid water training and the command post had no officers qualified for water rescue. There was one victim, there could have been six,” denounces M^e Camel.

Since then, SIM has committed to building a “dedicated and specialized firefighting team in sea and ice rescue,” the report said.

The issue of a no-go zone in the St. Lawrence, where boaters could enter at their own risk, had been recommended in a previous CNESST report. M^e Camel brings certain nuances.

“We now know that firefighters will do everything humanly possible to save lives,” she wrote. Ultimately, the boat’s crew could decide on an intervention deemed urgent and in this case must be able to deal with a possible capsize or rescue. It is not enough to block off an area, the fire brigade must be prepared for all eventualities. »

Their recommendation is therefore “to check the danger area of ​​the SIM by ensuring that the fire brigade can rescue shipwrecked people there in an emergency”.

Recommendations that cast a wide net

The coroner also makes recommendations to all authorities who were directly or indirectly involved in the salvage.

“It was chaos that night,” said Mr Bélisle of the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). “This evening showed the importance of reviewing the agreements between the partners in terms of each person’s responsibilities, but also setting up simulations to test their rescue and coordination plans at major events,” notes Dr.^e Camel.

In the city of Montreal, the coroner orders that the danger zones in the watercourses be mapped and better indicated. At the Ministry of Public Safety, she proposes establishing best practices for sea rescue for provincial fire departments.

Regarding the SIM, in addition to reviewing firefighter training, Mr.^e Kamel suggests equipping each boat with a service cell phone and personal gear with a GPS signal.

The coroner also appealed to the Canadian Coast Guard regarding the Lachine Rapids warning signs. Finally, Transport Canada is urging that the procedures for obtaining a boat license be reviewed. This card is currently acquired through a 3 hour online training course priced at $50. There is no minimum age required.