A firefighter-in-training has died after he was submerged under ice during a training exercise on the Saugeen River in Hanover, Ont.

Ministry of Labour (MOL) spokesperson William Lin told COHSN that Herschel Rescue Training Systems was conducting a cold water rescue training exercise on Feb. 8 when the student of Oshawa, Ont.-based Durham College became trapped under ice. The Hanover Fire and Emergency Services Department as 30-year-old Adam Brunt.

The MOL has dispatched an inspector to the scene of the accident, and the investigation is currently ongoing. Hanover Police Services (HPS) is also investigating, Lin said, adding that the labour ministry had not issued any compliance orders as of the morning of Feb. 10.

HPS could not be reached by COHSN press time, but the police department said in media reports that Brunt was training with 11 other students and one instructor. One by one, each of the 13 people floated down a channel of fast-flowing water on the partially frozen river in quick succession. Once the final person came through, they realized that one person was missing, according to the reports.

Brunt had been enrolled in Durham College’s one-year “Firefighter – Pre-service, education and training” course. The curriculum, based on current Ontario firefighter standards, was developed in conjunction with the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs and the provincial Office of the Fire Marshal to provide knowledge and practical skills, the college said on its website.

The fatality came a little over five years after a similar incident on the St. Clair River near Sarnia, Ont. On the morning of Jan. 30, 2010, Gary Kendall, 51, was participating in an ice water rescue training exercise conducted by Point Edward Fire & Rescue when he became trapped under ice (COHSN, Feb. 8, 2010). The volunteer firefighter, a 16-year veteran of the Point Edward fire department, was trapped underwater by a large ice floe. He died the morning after the incident.