Workers drowned after their amphibious vehicle was swept away by the strong current
The Quebec municipality of Saint-Urbain has pleaded guilty following the deaths of two volunteer firefighters during the floods of May 2023, according to a report.
The municipality also agreed to pay $25,000 for the incident that happened in the Charlevoix region, according to CBC.
The fine was imposed by the CNESST, Quebec’s workplace health and safety board, after the municipality was found to have violated section 237 of the Act respecting occupational health and safety by directly and seriously compromising the health and safety of workers.
The incident happened on May 1, 2023. Volunteer firefighter Régis Lavoie, 55, and firefighter-in-training Christopher Lavoie, 23, drowned after their amphibious ATV was swept away by the strong current of the Gouffre River while they attempted to rescue residents trapped by rapidly rising floodwaters.
The firefighters’ bodies were discovered two days later. Both were not wearing a life vest over their firefighting gear.
The two men, who were not related, lost control of the vehicle and were swept away.
A coroner’s report released in March 2024 found that significant shortcomings contributed to the deaths, including insufficient emergency planning, a lack of training, and inadequate equipment for aquatic interventions. The report described the event as a “100-year flood” caused by heavy rainfall and snowmelt, which led to the river overflowing its banks.
After initially contesting the fine, the municipality agreed to pay it following the publication of the coroner’s report. Saint-Urbain Mayor Claudette Simard declined to comment on the decision to plead guilty. The fine must be paid within three months.
The families of the victims say the municipality’s admission of guilt does not ease their pain.
“For me, it’s incomprehensible that they sent my son into the field when he had two months of training,” said Germaine Lavoie, mother of Christopher Lavoie, in an interview with Radio-Canada, according to the CBC report.
Critical failures in emergency preparedness, training, and intermunicipal coordination were behind the deaths of the two firefighters, according to a coroner’s report released earlier this year.
File photo from Willy Williamson’s Facebook page
