Emergency Services

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Three trained firefighters rescued a boy caught in dangerous waters on the Chateauguay River in Huntingdon on July 11.

Remnants of Hurricane Beryl, which passed over the region the day before, saw just under 40 millimetres of torrential rain cause the normally tranquil river to rise by several feet. The following afternoon, a 10-year-old boy was playing by the river with three other unaccompanied children when he was suddenly swept away by the fast-moving current shortly after 4 p.m.

Godmanchester resident and retired firefighter Jon Vine was driving past Russell Island in Huntingdon on his way to the Vallée des Travailleurs garage where he works. He says it was by coincidence that he rolled down the window just in time to hear the boy’s cries for help. The three friends met him as he pulled onto the island, gesturing frantically toward the river.

Vine immediately called Johanne Myre at the garage and asked her to send help, and to call 911. When he reached the riverbank, he found the boy desperately clinging to a thin tree branch over the water about 20 feet from shore. “The water was rushing like crazy,” he says.

Steve Myatt and Brandon Gavin soon arrived from the garage. After a quick search, the men found nothing more than a cow halter and some transport straps in the vehicle and quickly came up with a plan.

Wearing the cow halter around his chest, Myatt waded into the water, which quickly reached up to his neck, and approached the boy. Vine and Gavin used the straps to hold him against the current. Myatt eventually wrapped a strap around the boy’s arm, which allowed Vine and Gavin to quickly tow him to shore.

At this point, first responders from Hinchinbrooke and the Huntingdon Fire Department were on scene, and they helped to safely pull the boy and the three men from the water. Huntingdon fire chief Marc Voyer confirmed that the minor, who cannot be identified, was unharmed during the rescue. The Sûreté du Québec was called, and the responding officers contacted the child’s parents.

“Those guys did an amazing job,” says Voyer, of the quick thinking and action by Vine, Myatt, and Gavin. “It was very, very dangerous,” he insists, referring to the treacherous water conditions that day. “They put their lives on the line.”

While looking out over the river the following day, Vine says he still gets shivers just thinking about the rescue. “We could be talking about something else today,” he says solemnly. “All the cards were there,” he says, referring to the series of fortunate coincidences that ultimately saved the boy’s life.

Both Vine and Voyer underline the importance of respecting waterways, pointing out how quickly local water conditions can become unpredictable and dangerous after heavy rain.