Firefighter drowning deaths: coroner blames ‘hero firefighter’ mentality

The “hero firefighter” mentality and “poor emergency management” are among the multiple causes that led to the deaths of volunteer firefighters Christopher Lavoie, 23, and Régis Lavoie, 55, during the May 1, 2023, flood in Saint-Urbain, Charlevoix.

That’s according to coroner Andrée Kronström’s report presented Wednesday in Baie-Saint-Paul.

She says the “sudden and extremely violent” floods had isolated a couple who had stayed too long in their home. The two firefighters were trying to rescue them but were thrown into the water wearing firefighter gear and without life jackets when their amphibious vehicle overturned.

“The deaths of Mr. Lavoie resulted from a chain of factors and not solely from the fact that the firefighters used an amphibious vehicle to intervene in a field submerged by more than 1.2 meters of rushing water, putting their safety at risk,” wrote Kronström in her 39-page report.

Reducing the ‘hero firefighter’ mentality

“Firefighters want to help, what has been called the hero firefighter mentality,” the coroner explained at a press conference.

One of Kronström’s recommendations is to encourage the École nationale des pompiers to “reduce this mentality of being able to intervene in any circumstance.”

“Everyone wanted to do the right thing, everyone wanted to help, and the firefighters who responded didn’t necessarily put their safety first, but rather to rescue other people who were in danger.” Their reading of the watercourse was certainly not the best, Kronström determined, but that’s because they didn’t have the tools to properly assess it.

“During training to become a firefighter, they need to be made aware that sometimes it’s not possible to intervene.”

An expert who testified at the public inquiry stated that “the correct procedure for a fire department without a water rescue team should have been, in this case, to not intervene and wait for helicopter rescue.”

Saint-Urbain wasn’t ready

The municipality is also being criticized for its lack of organization, but due to the harsh weather conditions, “it was very difficult, if not impossible, for the municipality of Saint-Urbain to predict the extent of the flooding on May 1.”

“I was very sensitive to the fact that the mayor (Claudette Simard) felt overwhelmed and abandoned in circumstances that were out of the ordinary,” acknowledged Kronström.

The coroner largely explained this helplessness of the municipal authorities by the fact that the Municipal Civil Protection Plan (PMSC) “was not known by the general manager, who held a coordination position, the mayor, and all the elected officials. Therefore, it was at this level that coordination was ineffective,” Kronström explained during the press conference.

This lack of awareness meant that “the deployment of municipal resources did not allow for decisions appropriate to the urgency of the situation.”

Responsible for one’s own safety

The coroner also pointed out that the couple trapped in their water-covered home had not decided to evacuate quickly enough. She therefore suggests conducting a public awareness campaign “emphasizing that every citizen … must ensure their own safety. I think people are not yet aware of this.”

Among her 15 recommendations, Kronström also advocates consolidating the fire safety services of all municipalities in Charlevoix, an approach she considers “essential” for the development of a regional disaster resilience plan, adding that “government financial assistance would be essential to meet the growing demands” of response needs caused by more frequent and intense weather events.

Given the impact of these extreme weather events, she calls on the Ministry of the Environment, which, she believes, must play “a key role in forecasting and anticipating risks. A complete mapping of the water network should be finalized as soon as possible” in order, among other things, to better plan development in flood-prone areas of lakes and rivers.

Among her other recommendations, she calls on Saint-Urbain to enter into agreements with Baie-Saint-Paul for the implementation of its PMSC and to ensure ongoing training in emergency measures for municipal staff and elected officials.

“One death is always one too many, but if these two deaths can be the guiding principle to bring about change, that would be wonderful,” said Kronström.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews