Charges
that a 10-year old boy who died in an oil-fed general alarm fire
in east central Montreal last night because of work-to-rule tactics
being staged by city firemen are being investigated. Fire director
Rene Plaisance said he wanted to talk with the personnel involved
in fighting the fire which killed Rene Meunier in a row of shed
at 3745-77 Drolet Street, near Roy Street. But Plaisance sait at
the fire scene last night: "I only arrived after the fifth
alarm was rung, so I don't know what went on before I got here.
I can tell you this. The men are not working 100 per cent. As for
the rest (a reference to recent work-to-rule tactics), you can draw
your own conclusions."
At a meeting today, the firemen agreed to end their work-to-rule
tactics.
The boy died shortly after being trapped
in his cousin's fiery shed where he ran to retrieve his bicycle.
His body was recovered this morning. Witnesses said some firemen
were apathetic or hostile, and fought the fire sluggishly. The Montreal
Firefighters' Association said today its members fought the fire
"according to the book".Richard Plourde, the association
secretary, said that firemen fought the fire "how they were
taught" and added that he was not aware of any misuse of equipment.
Fire
Commissioner John McDougall said the arson squad was investigating
the fire. He said it is routine to hold an inquiry into a fatal
blaze and the tactics of some firemen probably would be questioned
at an inquiry. Rene had been playing with his brother and cousin
when flames broke out in a garbage pail near the sheds. The flames,
fed by oil and some gasoline stored in one of the sheds, raced through
the rear of the Drolet Street buildings and spread to the building
fronting the street. Twenty families were routed.
The kids ran out of the shed where
the fire started, but he (the victim) ran back in to get his bicycle"
said Sgt. Yvon Godard of the police arson squad. "I had hoped
the little fellow was hiding some place else and was just afraid
to come out."
When firemen arrived shortly after 7 p.m., nearby residents said
the "took their sweet time" setting up their equipment.
District fire chief Lucien Plaisance, son of the director, at first
declined to comment on the accusations that his men were slow in
reacting and they had at times argued with their superiors."I'm
not saying these stories are not true, but I'll say this" he
told THE MONTREAL STAR last night, "they were working …
maybe not in fifth gear like normal, but probably fourth and third."
Witnesses told of two constables who
forced reluctant residents from threatened buildings and pushed
crowds of spectators back out of a lane running between Drolet and
St. Denis Streets north of Roy Street to allow passage of fire equipment
- equipment which witnesses said didn't enter the lane until a half
hour later."The officer pushed the crowd back to the end of
the lane by himself while his partner told people living right next
door to the fire to get out or else," said one man."When
some firemen arrived in the lane they came with one and a half inch
hoses, not large enough for this fire - hell, was the chief ever
mad." Additional men and equipment were summoned when flames
spread along the roofs of the five wood and brick structures said
to be 50 years old.
One veteran fireman said if the fire
had been fought whole-heartedly it could have been handled in 15
minutes and never would have had the chance to spread to the adjoining
buildings.
"Some of the boys were not following orders," he added,
"and were arguing among themselves and with the chiefs."
"It seemed that they were about to start a fist-fight in the
middle of the street," said the fireman.
According to one fireman, the department's snorkel truck was rendered
useless when the vehicle's ignition keys disappeared while the driver
and operator were checking where the truck should be parked.
Firemen call end to slowdown
About 2,000 firemen agreed today to
end their work-to-rule campaign after accepting a proposal from
their association executive to begin negotiations on a 1975 contract
with the city.
Jean L'Abbe, president of the Montreal Firefighters' Association,
said that besides the "normal" clauses in the new contract,
the association will seek a "corrective clause" to give
the city's 2,400 firemen a cost-of-living bonus in their current
two-year contract. "We have no guarantee from the city that
they will negotiate with us for the corrective, but we will not
sign a new contract without it."
Montreal's firemen this week adopted
work-to-rule tactics to protest the city's refusal to negotiate
for a cost-of-living bonus. The fire department has been at only
50 per-cent strength since Tuesday as more than 200 firemen called
in sick each shift.
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