"I never thought two firefighters would die coming to help us"
This is what Yvan Lavoie said last week when the coroner’s inquest into the deaths of two Quebec firefighters started last week, according to a report from The Canadian Press.
The two firefighters – Christopher Lavoie, 23, and Régis Lavoie, 55 – died attempting to rescue Lavoie and her wife Linda Simard on May 1, 2023.
That day, the two firefighters aboard an amphibious vehicle tried to reach thy couple when the roadway leading to the home wasn’t accessible. The water of the Gouffre River had started to rise quickly and surround the couple’s home.
However, as the two firefighters approached the home, their vehicle was overtaken by the rushing water.
The amphibious vehicle they were using began to drift in the rough waters and they fell into the overflowing Gouffre River.
Simard said her husband saw what happened and told her in a panic to call 911.
The firefighters’ bodies were discovered two days later. Both were not wearing a life vest over their firefighting gear.
Lavoie described the experience as a “horror story” and said that while he was prepared for floods, he wasn’t ready for the intense conditions he experienced that day, according to a report from The Canadian Press published on CityNews.
The couple were eventually saved by a police helicopter in the early evening.
The inquiry also heard on Monday last week from provincial police officers, including a search and rescue officer who helped find the two victims’ bodies. Kronström said the two firefighters drowned and that Christopher Lavoie also suffered internal bleeding due to head trauma, according to the report.
The inquest will span a number of days in April and May, and will clear rumours about what actually happened to the two firefighters.
“We’ll put that all aside and we will hear the witnesses who will come to testify under oath and we will be able to grasp what really happened,” Coroner Andrée Kronström said, according to The Canadian Press. “What drives me, and what will drive everyone here, is the quest for truth.”
Previously, the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) found that the two Lavoies did not have the proper equipment to intervene in a water rescue.
"The lack of planning of preventive measures to manage flood situations led to poor management of the response, resulting in the drowning of two firefighters," CNESST said in its report published in March.
"It is crucial that all stakeholders work together to ensure that firefighters receive the training and support they need to carry out their duties safely," says the report. "We must prioritize the safety of our first responders and take proactive steps to prevent such tragedies from occurring again."
