A citizen on their jet ski rescued two kayakers from the St. Lawrence River last Friday after a Montreal fire department boat was unable to reach them, prompting new questions about the city’s water-rescue capacity.
It comes nearly five years after a Montreal firefighter drowned during a similar rescue operation on the river. That incident prompted a coroner to call for better training, equipment and co-ordination — and to recommend that the Montreal fire department acquire personal watercraft for such situations.
In this case, the Montreal fire department received a call at 6:57 p.m. last Friday reporting two people in distress near Mud Pie Island (located southwest of Nuns’ Island), according to a statement from division chief Martin Guilbault. Two women had reportedly capsized.
Firefighters were immediately sent to the area, he said, but low water levels prevented their rescue boat from reaching the kayakers.
As a result, the department requested that a smaller rescue vessel be brought to the scene.
But as firefighters waited for it to arrive, the officer overseeing the operation accepted help from a nearby citizen on a personal watercraft, Guilbault said.
The citizen reached the two kayakers by jet ski, and brought them to safety. The women were were taken into the care of Urgences-santé.
A community post on Facebook later described the rescue, praising the Verdun resident’s “courage, fast action and incredible community spirit” and saying a potential tragedy had been averted.
The union representing Montreal firefighters stressed that the incident showed firefighters still did not have the appropriate equipment for such situations.
“Thankfully, those citizens on personal watercraft were there, but it should not be their job,” Marc-André Gosselin, treasurer of the Montreal Firefighters Association, said in a statement.
“The City of Montreal has the coroner’s recommendations in hand: How many victims will it take before it acts?”
In October 2021, Pierre Lacroix, a 30-year veteran of the fire department, drowned after a rescue boat carrying four firefighters capsized near the Lachine Rapids. The two boaters the firefighters had set out to rescue survived.
A Quebec coroner later described Lacroix’s death as an “avoidable tragedy” and issued 25 recommendations after finding serious shortcomings in training, equipment and co-ordination. Among them was a recommendation that the fire department acquire personal watercraft capable of reaching areas inaccessible to its larger boats.
In 2023, the city said that it had created a committee to review its water-rescue training and ensure firefighters had the equipment and procedures needed to reduce risks.
In his statement, Guilbault urged boaters and other recreational water users to wear personal flotation devices, prepare a trip plan and tell someone their route and expected return time.
“The St. Lawrence River, as well as all other waterways, should never be underestimated,” the department said. “Strong currents, winds and rapidly changing weather conditions can pose significant risks.”
The City of Montreal did not respond to The Gazette’s request for comment.
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