Bodies of missing firefighters found near Baie-Saint-Paul, Que.
Police are still not confirming identities of 2 bodies found, saying that's up to coroner
The body of the second firefighter lost when floodwaters overwhelmed him and a colleague during a rescue operation in Saint-Urbain, Que., has been found, Radio-Canada has learned.
The first body, belonging to 55-year-old Régis Lavoie, was found Wednesday morning between Saint-Urbain and Baie-Saint-Paul, his family confirmed to Radio-Canada.
Régis and Christopher Lavoie, 23, were swept away in the strong current of a swollen river on Monday, spurring an intense search effort.
The second body was found about four hours later, some 500 metres away, at around 1:30 p.m., according to Sgt. Béatrice Dorsainville, a Sûreté du Québec spokesperson, during a news conference.
"The rising waters made it very difficult to access the place where the two bodies were found," she said, noting they were located about five kilometres from where they first went missing.
So far, police are not confirming the identity of the bodies, citing the need for an official coroner's identification. However, Dorsainville noted the two bodies were wearing firefighters' clothing.
Though the two men shared the same last name, they were not related.
The two part-time firefighters with the Saint-Urbain fire service were helping residents trapped by rising river levels when they were caught in the current.
Marylou Lavoie, Régis's daughter, told Radio-Canada on Tuesday that her father was in an amphibious ATV with Christopher Lavoie when the strength of the current capsized their vehicle.
"My dad tried to hold on to a tree, but it didn't work," she said, relaying information she heard from police. "The [ATV] hit him and the current took him."
She described her father as "a hero to everyone, always ready to help, never able to say no."
A helicopter was dispatched to the scene to carry out search-and-rescue operations. The Canadian Armed Forces also deployed a Griffon helicopter and a Lockheed C-130 Hercules plane to monitor the floods and assist in the search.
Baie-Saint-Paul is on the north shore of the Saint-Lawrence River, about 95 kilometres northeast of Quebec City.
The region has been hit hard by flooding. Torrential rains caused river levels to rapidly rise on Monday. The floodwaters swept away motorhomes, damaged houses and destroyed roads.
Death draws attention to firefighter training
Régis Lavoie's family has raised questions about why he and Christopher were involved in the flooding operation at all.
"Why wasn't a helicopter called in if it was so dangerous? If the water was so high, why did they send my father?" Marylou said Tuesday.
Last week, coroner Géhane Kamel released a report examining the death of Pierre Lacroix, a Montreal firefighter who drowned during a water rescue in the Lachine Rapids in 2021.
Kamel recommended the Quebec government revise its rules and regulations for firefighting departments since they haven't been updated since 2004 and don't include specific details about water rescues.
She also said the province needs to establish a training program for boat rescues.
Premier François Legault, in Baie-Saint-Paul on Wednesday to survey the damage, warned against passing judgment on the situation — and whether the two men had adequate training — until more information is available.
"We're talking about [part-time] firefighters," he said. "We're talking about a situation that evolved extremely quickly. But yes, it raises questions [about the level of training] and we're going to do the necessary analysis."
Part-time firefighters in Quebec must undergo a training course called Certificat Pompier I, a 255-hour course that covers basic firefighting skills and knowledge. Additional courses, including water rescue, are offered through the École nationale des pompiers.
André Bourassa, vice-president of the province's association of firefighters, the Fédération québécoise des intervenants en sécurité incendie, said firefighters in small towns where flooding is a possibility normally have the necessary equipment to handle it — including boats, life-jackets and rescue gear.
But he said he wasn't sure if that was the case here.
"Everything is so expensive, it's not every municipality that can afford to buy everything they would need," he said.
Premier Legault said that the amphibious ATV, known as an Argo, that Régis was using when he was lost to the current was his personal vehicle.
Bourassa said cases like these are easy to scrutinize afterward but the events seemed to have transpired extremely quickly as flash-flooding was threatening to cut off access to homes in the area.
"How fast were the circumstances evolving? I think it was something that escalated very, very fast," he said.
Fast-moving water is very difficult to navigate, he said, particularly when it is laden with mud, as it was in this case, which amplifies its strength.
"It's a very, very sad situation and very, very, dark days for the brotherhood of firefighters," he said.
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