Montreal firefighters call for suspension of water rescue service

The Montreal firefighters association is calling for the complete suspension of the water rescue service until major corrections are made for the safety of its members.

The union highlighted and criticized a dangerous situation during a rescue operation on the banks of the Mercier Bridge in the waters of the St. Lawrence River to the provincial work and safety board (Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST)).

"Having been searching for a potential victim who had jumped from the top of a bridge during this event on the night of October 24-25, a four-member crew then found itself in an area that it did not know and that is non-navigable and not marked for the public," reads the union's news release, published Friday.

The Montreal Firefighters Association says the situation could have ended disastrously, "in conditions eerily similar to those that tragically claimed the life of firefighter Pierre Lacroix last year and injured three of his crewmates."

The union criticized CNESST's training practices and the absence of duly qualified resource persons to supervise the personnel assigned to develop and provide training, but also to administer the entire "water-ice" file.

It also pointed out the absence of a precise pedagogical plan and the failure to respect NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standards and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 11, 2022.