In 2023, an investigation into the death of two volunteer firefighters begins

Content of the article

Linda Simar said her husband told her to call 911 when she saw two volunteer firefighters drown in flash floods last year in Quebec's Charlevoix region.

Simar was one of the first people to testify Monday at the inquest into the deaths of two men who plunged from their amphibious vehicle into the Gouffre River in St. Urbain to save her and her husband. .

Content of the article

Content of the article

“It's very difficult,” Simar said through tears. “They came to save us.”

Coroner Andre Kronström began hearing witnesses at the courthouse in La Malbaie during the inquest, which will last several days in April and May, marking the one-year anniversary of the deaths of Christopher Lavoie, 23, and Regis Lavoie, 55.

According to Kronström, the goal is not to lay blame, but to better understand what happened on May 1, 2023, when two unrelated people died.

The death of the small community of Saint-Urbain, northeast of Quebec City, has been the subject of much talk and rumour.

“We're going to put all that aside and listen to the witnesses who are going to be sworn in and we're going to be able to understand what really happened,” Kronström said. “What drives me and what drives everyone here is the search for truth.”

While the firefighters were trying to rescue, the amphibious vehicle they were using drifted in the rough water and fell into the flowing Gufr River. Their bodies were found two days later, and neither man was wearing a life jacket for firefighting equipment.

Content of the article

Content of the article

Regis Lavoie's daughter, Marylou Lavoie, described her father as a happy, generous man who worked in forestry and as a security guard at a local hospital. He said he has been a volunteer firefighter for nearly 25 years.

The amphibious vehicle in which the two men were sitting was often used by Regis Lavoie for fishing, he said, adding that he did not know why he was using it for the rescue.

She described her father as the “pillar” of the family and a “big hearted” man.

“The only thing I want to be remembered for is that he was a great man. He would have given it to everyone before himself,” said Marylou Lavoie, fighting back tears.

After Monday, Simar said that on May 1, 2023, the water of the Gufr river rose rapidly and surrounded his house. Neither security officials nor local leaders ordered the couple to leave beforehand, he said.

Firefighters tried to reach the couple, but the road leading to the home was not accessible. In response, the local fire chief said they would send an amphibious vehicle to pick them up.

But when the two men approached the house, their car was flooded. Simar said her husband, Ivan Lavoie, saw what had happened, panicked and told her to call 911.

Content of the article

“I never thought two firefighters would die trying to help us,” he said.

He described the incident as a “horrific incident” and said that while he was prepared for the flooding, he was not prepared for the dire conditions he experienced that day.

The couple was rescued by a police helicopter in the evening. But before that, Simar said that she refused to die with her husband. “We thought we were going to die, that the house would be washed away.”

The inquest heard Monday from provincial police officers, including a search and rescue officer who helped find the bodies of the two victims. Kronström said two firefighters drowned and Christopher Lavoie also suffered internal bleeding from a head injury.

A workplace health and safety report found firefighters lacked the training and equipment needed to carry out rescue operations. Among the board's recommendations was that Quebec's fire academy require water rescue training for recruits.

This week's hearings will continue until Wednesday.

Content of the article

Content of the article