Quebec coroner says poor planning, lack of training contributed to deaths of firefighters [Video]

An investigation by a Quebec coroner into the 2023 deaths of two volunteer firefighters during a water rescue in Saint-Urbain, Que., concluded their deaths were a result of a “chain of events.”

In a 39-page report released Wednesday, Quebec coroner Andrée Kronström revealed that significant shortcomings contributed to the men’s deaths, including insufficient emergency planning, a lack of training and inadequate equipment for aquatic interventions. 

On May 1, 2023, Régis Lavoie, 55, a volunteer firefighter, and Christopher Lavoie, 23, a firefighter in training, drowned after boarding an amphibious ATV in an attempt to rescue a couple whose home was surrounded by rapidly rising waters from the nearby Gouffre River. 

The river overflowed after significant rainfall and snowmelt led to what Kronström described as a 100-year flood. 

The strong current made it hard for the two firefighters — who were not related — to control the ATV, which started drifting. They …