Greater Sudbury emergency services personnel will act on the recommendations from a cororner's inquest into the 2013 boating tragedy on Lake Wanapitei.
Matthew Humeniuk, Michael Kritz and Stephanie Bertrand died following a boating incident June 30, 2013, with problems with the city's 911 system playing a significant role in the fatalities.
After calling 911 when their boat crashed into an Island, the dispatcher had trouble finding the crash, despite having been sent a map that included the GPS coordinates of the location. That same dispatcher told them to light a signal fire to assist rescuers. In the dry conditions, that fire spread and igniting the crashed boat. Kritz died in the fire.
The inquest took place from Oct. 15-30 in Greater Sudbury and Ottawa. It examined the Lake Wanapitei incident, and the death of an individual in the Ottawa area as a result of a medical condition. It focused on the roles that 911 dispatchers, emergency responders, as well as the 911 systems in place in 2013, had in these events.
It made 27 recommendations on how to prevent a similar tragedy. Mayor Brian Bigger said in a news release Friday there will be changes.
“I want to express our deepest sympathies to the friends and families of all of those involved in these incidents,” Mayor Brian Bigger is quoted as saying in a news release. “I also want to express my gratitude to all those seeking to make the systems and processes we all rely on as effective as possible. I know that the recommendations made as a result of this inquest were not made lightly, and they will be carefully reviewed.”
The jury recommendations will be thoroughly evaluated by the city, Greater Sudbury Police Service and community partners, where action plans and next steps will be determined, the release said.
“This inquest has been difficult to relive for all of those involved, and we would like to express our deepest sympathies to the friends and families of the deceased,” Joseph Nicholls, GM of Community Safety and Chief of Fire and Paramedic Services, is quoted as saying in the release.
“We have implemented many initiatives since this incident, and we will continue to work with our partners to improve the coordination between fire, paramedic, and police services for the City of Greater Sudbury."
The results from the thorough evaluation of the recommendations will be brought forward to city council and the public through the emergency services committee, as well as through the annual budget process.
“Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies are with the families of the victims involved in this terrible tragedy,” Police Chief Paul Pedersen said in the release. “The last five years have been extremely difficult for all of those who were impacted by that fateful evening.
“We look forward to reviewing the recommendations with our emergency services partners through the Joint Emergency Services Operations Advisory Group in order to implement positive change. We want to thank everyone who was involved in the inquest including the coroner, members of the jury, witnesses, family members, communicators, emergency responders and investigators for dedicating your time to this important process.”
Coroner’s inquests are held to inform the public about the circumstances of a death. More than 30 witnesses, including staff from Greater Sudbury Police, and city fire and paramedic services, provided testimony over the 12-day hearing.
The jury, made up of five members from Greater Sudbury and Ottawa, has made 27 recommendations for consideration by both the province and municipalities across Ontario to help prevent a similar occurrence in the future.
In the coming weeks, the coroner will provide additional information for each recommendation to assist organizations in understanding how the jury arrived at these conclusions.
