MONTREAL – A Montreal firefighter died of his injuries on Friday after he was hit by a fire truck while responding to a call.
“We lost one of our own,” said Ronald Martin, president of the Montreal Firefighters’ Association, during a news conference Friday evening.
The firefighter, a 38-year-old man, had been with the Montreal Fire Department since March 2010.
Serge Tremblay, director of the Montreal fire department, could not release the man’s name, because “an important member” of his family has yet to be notified of his death.
The accident occurred at around 5 p.m. in Ville St. Laurent. The firefighter was part of a team responding to a call on Dutrisac St. close to Henri Bourassa Blvd. in Ville St. Laurent. A man had locked himself out of his home and left a pot on the stove.
While the operation was taking place, the firefighter was struck by a fire truck.
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Tremblay confirmed that the truck that struck the deceased firefighter was in fact the truck he had been on.
Three stations dispatched trucks to the fire. One station is located in Ville St. Laurent, and the other two are in the Cartierville district.
Tremblay stressed that in situations where multiple fire trucks are called to a scene, there are protocols that dictate which trucks do what, when.
“Our firefighters are very competent,” he said.
Since the accident occurred in the line of duty, the family will have the option to have a public funeral, if they choose to do so, Tremblay explained.
The fire department and Montreal police is investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident. The Commission de la Santé et de la Sécurité du travail, the province’s workplace safety board, will also be opening an investigation.
Two other firefighters on the scene were brought to hospital to be treated for shock. All the firefighters on the scene have been offered psychological support.
Tremblay said Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay contacted him to extend his condolences. The Montreal police expressed their condolences via Twitter.
The last time a firefighter died while responding to a call was in 2006.
Capt. Marcel Marleau died January 21, 2006, while battling a blaze at an apartment building in Montreal North.
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