The City of Montreal recognizes its fault in the death of firefighter Lacroix

The disastrous rescue operation that occurred in the fall of 2021 in the tumultuous waters of the river and its tragic end still haunts the family of Pierre Lacroix, but the admission of the fire department comes as a relief.

For Stéphanie, her eldest daughter, it’s a kind of calm. It doesn’t take away the anger or the grieving process, because it will never bring my father backindicated the one who had agreed to confide in Investigation in the wake of his tragic death. But, at least, it is written in black and white that the City of Montreal is guilty of this accident.

Stéphanie Lacroix was in the courtroom when the City entered her guilty plea last month for, as an employer at a workplace located in the Lachine Rapids, directly and seriously compromised the health, safety or physical and psychological integrity of a worker during a technical rescue operation in white water on 17 October 2021.

The City will have to pay a fine of $17,680 for contravening section 237 of the Act respecting occupational health and safety.

A derisory amount, estimates Stéphanie Lacroix, but which, on the other hand, is symbolic. Justice has been servedshe concludes.

Note also that three other firefighters were on board during the accident, which left them with after-effects.

For Benoit Martel, who was one of the first to sound the alarm about the problems in the water and ice rescue unit at the SIM even though he himself was responsible, it was time for this painful chapter closes.

It is to the organization’s credit to make a mea culpa and say: “Maybe there are things we haven’t done well in the past, but we will improve”, rather than trying or continuing by saying: “No, no, no, we are not guilty and we do not want to admit it”.

The boat in which Pierre Lacroix was found was the third to capsize since the SIM acquired these models in 2007. The experienced firefighter himself denounced the problems with these boats, the HammerHead, as well as the lack of training for the firefighters to carry out water rescue operations.

He also denounced the creation of an exclusion zone in the rapids where the SIM asked firefighters not to intervene, even though they felt it was their duty to do so.

The conclusion of Géhane Kamel, who held public hearings following the death of firefighter Lacroix, was unequivocal: it was a preventable tragedy. The coroner made 25 recommendations, including that of resolving the problem of the exclusion zone.

A few days before the broadcast of the reportInvestigation in October 2022, the SIM announced the withdrawal of the HammerHeads, which it replaced with new boats. However, it took more than two years for the City to plead guilty after the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) issued a statement of offense to the City.

End of a chapter, but not of the story

Both the SIM and the City of Montreal declined our interview request, and, out of respect to the Lacroix family and those involved in the incidentthey both declined to make any comment.

The CNESST prosecutor, Me Mathieu Perron, emphasizes for his part that firefighters have the right to working conditions that respect their health, their safety and their physical and psychological integrity. Identification, control and elimination of risks that could affect worker health and safety [, c’]is constant work.

For the president of the Montreal Firefighters’ Association, the firefighters’ union, this admission of guilt is important.

Above all, it takes a weight off our members, from the workers involved who were asking themselves the question: “Did I do something wrong?” But there, at least, we know the lack of equipment, the lack of training, the lack of monitoring, etc.says Chris Ross.

However, he believes that the matter does not end there. The problem of the exclusion zone, in particular, remains unresolved.

It’s the same type of exclusion zone that has existed since the death of Pierre Lacroix that has been in place, and workers are not allowed to cross it. They installed this in the GPS, so when the firefighters arrive nearby, it starts to sound. But it still amounts to putting my members before an impossible choice: we see someone, this person is going to pass through the rapids, I have to stop the intervention, I let them go. This is something that is not done in the world of firefighters.

Mr. Ross is not alone in thinking that everything is not settled.

Benoit Martel believes that the SIM must continue to improve, especially in terms of training. It’s a relief, but there is still work to do. For the organization. There, now, perhaps there is accountability and improvements in the way things are done.

It’s not just a question of equipment, it’s a question of knowing how the equipment works, adds Stéphanie Lacroix. Firefighters are their own work tools. These people must be adequately trained to be able to do their job, but also to ensure their own safety.