“He was a very popular and helpful man. He never counted his working hours,” emphasizes the director of the fire department, Francis Perron. He was also a long-time friend for him. “I’ve been in the fire department for 25 years and he was there before me,” he said.
It was actually his friend
Francis Perron arrived at the scene shortly after police. “I received a call as a first responder about a cardiopulmonary arrest accident,” he says. Then there was a fire call for rescue from the same spot.
“The police told us that nothing could be done against the person and that he had died. I hadn’t noticed at the time that it was Michel’s vehicle. I approached to see if it was really necessary to free him. Just before I got close to the vehicle, which was somewhat in the ditch, I saw the fire department logo behind it and it seemed to set it on fire. It was Michel’s car,” he says.
At the same time, other firefighters approached his department. “I shouted to my boys: ‘Go away! Go away!’” Mr. Perron preferred that the rest of the team not see his colleague.
Francis Perron was a paramedic for 16 years and saw one accident scene after another, but he never expected that a colleague and a friend would die in such circumstances.
“We spent a lot of our youth together,” he says.
A valued man
Francis Perron felt the need to pay tribute to the great spirit of service of his colleague and friend by posting on Facebook a photo that represents him very well, as well as a short nostalgic comment that begins: “You and your coffee machine!”
This is because the fire department had purchased a coffee machine, as convenience stores are not open at night during operations in the winter for drinking coffee and keeping warm. It was Michel Devost who took over, says Mr. Perron. “He said, ‘I’ll take care of it and make sure there’s no friction between the boys.'” When it was very cold, he was very happy to get his table out and tell the boys he would make them coffee .” The label of the master of the coffee machine has remained with him.
“He had a beautiful, big heart. It seems like these are the people who go too fast.”
— Francis Perron, director of the Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade fire department
Psychological support
Chief Perron responded with his firefighters Saturday morning. “I was in the barracks and told the boys they could come over if they felt the need to talk about it.”
On Friday, the team met with social workers at the barracks, “and it helped,” he said. Further follow-up examinations with the firefighters are also planned, as some are more affected than others, the chief specifies.
Not in use
Mayor Suzanne Rompré states that the 56-year-old “was not in office at the time of his traffic accident.”
“We regret his departure. Michel will have served the municipality of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade for more than 30 years, mainly in the road sector. He will also have worked as a volunteer firefighter,” she said. The Governor General of Canada awarded him the Firefighters Medal for Distinguished Service in 2019 for his career.
“At this point we do not know the exact cause of death. For this purpose, an autopsy should be carried out,” explains the mayor, adding: “I join the other members of the municipal council in expressing our most sincere condolences to his wife, Mrs. Danny Lanouette, and to all her relatives for this test.”
“He was a man who was valued by his work colleagues and friends, but also by the citizens. Above all, he was a good worker; We will miss his presence and his experience.”
— Suzanne Rompré, mayor of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade
Well-known and committed
The former mayor of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Gilles Devault, remembers this dedicated employee as someone who had a sense of humor and was usually in a good mood. “He was very hardworking,” he said.
Little Fish of the Chenaux Festival spokesman and long-time president of the organization, Steve Massicotte, speaks of Michel Devost as an “exemplary municipal employee.” He was someone who was really well known. If we needed something (at the festival), barriers or anything else, Michel was always there for us. Everyone knew him. “He was a good man who was highly valued by the community,” he emphasizes.
“It is a great loss for Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade,” laments Mr. Massicotte.