Allison Hanes: Montreal firefighters family is in mourning

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“Our family protects yours.”

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The motto of the Montreal Firefighters Association it was as moving as it was on Monday, when city firefighters mourned one of their own.

Pierre Lacroix, 58, a 30-year veteran working at Caserne 64 for the Montreal Service de sécurité incendie, died during a rescue operation Sunday in Lachine Rapids.

Lacroix, who was nearing retirement, leaves behind a wife and two children, but also a larger family of more than 2,800 firefighters and civilian employees who work for the Montreal fire department. They will mourn your loss both in public and in private.

The family was on everyone’s lips Monday when Fire Chief Richard Liebmann, Firefighters Association President Chris Ross and Mayor Valérie Plante announced Lacroix’s death outside the public safety headquarters on the flank of Mount Royal.

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Liebmann said that firefighting is a calling that demands courage on a daily basis. He said Lacroix made the “ultimate sacrifice” in the service of others.

Ross spoke of the importance of trust among colleagues who run into danger when everyone else is on the run.

“The strength of the fire department is the kind of teamwork we saw. It’s when we come together as a family, what we call in English ‘the brotherhood,’ ”Ross said.

Plante spoke of Lacroix as “a spouse, a father, a brother, a friend.” She offered her sincere condolences to her family, first of all, but also to her colleagues in the Montreal fire department.

“This is a tragedy that will affect many people,” he said.

The tributes and condolences came from the leader of Ensemble Montréal, Denis Coderre, in the electoral campaign, and from the Minister of Public Security, Geneviève Guilbault, in Quebec City, among others.

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Liebmann said Lacroix had been stationed at Caserne 64 in Lachine for 20 years and was an expert in nautical rescues of the kind that took their lives.

“He was doing what he wanted to do, what he was trained to do,” Liebmann said.

Lacroix was part of a team that responded to an emergency call that came in around 7 p.m. Sunday. Two people were stranded in a boat headed for the dangerous Lachine Rapids. During the rescue operation, the firefighters’ boat capsized. The Transportation Safety Board, the provincial workplace health and safety board, the Montreal fire department and police are investigating. Amateur video images shared with TVA It seemed to suggest that the ship was hit by a wave.

Three other firefighters and the two civilians were pulled out of the rough waters and taken to hospital for treatment for minor injuries. But Lacroix sank and was reported missing.

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A second rescue operation involving neighboring fire departments, the Montreal police, the Sûreté du Québec and the Canadian Armed Forces was carried out until the wee hours of the morning. Lacroix was eventually detected using a camera under the hull of the capsized fire rescue boat. It took specialized divers, risking their own lives in extremely dangerous conditions, to retrieve Lacroix’s body early Monday morning.

Although fatal accidents are undoubtedly difficult for first responders physically and psychologically at any time, having to recover a fallen colleague must come at a particular cost. Firefighters rely on professionalism, knowledge, and a sense of duty instilled through rigorous training, but true courage is reflected when such operations must be carried out with a heavy heart.

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Firefighters put themselves in danger every day, whether it’s entering burning buildings or releasing victims of terrible car accidents.

When they say goodbye to their loved ones to report for service, there is always the possibility that they will not come home. No matter how small the risk, it’s there with every call, every day of your career. And no matter how much experience they have, it can never be completely eliminated.

The last death of a firefighter in Montreal occurred in 2012, almost a decade ago, when Thierry Godfrind was hit by the fire truck which led to an emergency.

Before, Captain Marcel Marleau he died in the line of duty in 2006, when he was trapped in a burning building north of Montreal.

In 2004, Montreal Captain Alain Parent was killed off duty, trying to help rescue two men who had fallen into a septic tank at a camp in Mont-St-Hilaire. Even on vacation, firefighters can’t resist risking everything to save others.

All were honored for their heroism. Thousands of his siblings attended his funerals. Montreal has already lowered the municipal flags to half mast for Lacroix, who saved two lives by leaving his.

His death is a reminder that life is fragile, even for the brave and strong.

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