By Sabrina Nanji
OHS Canada
MONTREAL — The Ville de Montreal is to blame for the on-duty death of a rookie firefighter who was killed after his own truck backed up onto him last summer, the latest report from the provincial workplace health and safety caretakers revealed.
In its report, released on Feb. 25, the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST) concluded that the city of Montreal acted in a manner which compromised the health and safety of its workers. After joining the fire brigade in 2010, 39-year-old Thierry Godfrind was considered rather new to the force. His life ended abruptly in July of 2012, when he and his crew responded to a call at a residence in the St. Laurent borough of Montreal, according to the CSST.
“The vehicle had to back up about 50 metres to position itself as required” because it had overshot the address it was headed towards, explained the CSST’s Dominique David. “Before the vehicle backed up, Mr. Godfrind and two other members of the crew got out of the vehicle to walk to the address. Mr. Godfrind took a tool out of the back lateral compartment of the truck, and had to walk behind the truck while the truck was backing up. So the truck passed over him and Mr. Godfrind was killed.”
Full story: City of Montreal guilty in death of firefighter