Volunteer Ont. firefighter dies in mock rescue

An Ontario volunteer firefighter is dead after a training exercise took a deadly turn near Sarnia on Saturday.

Gary Kendall, 51, of Point Edward was taking part in a water rescue drill when he got trapped under a sheet of ice.

The man's fellow firefighters managed to pull Kendall to safety, and he was taken to Bluewater Health hospital where he died Sunday morning from his injuries.

'It's a wake up call that it's your neighbour, it's your brother right next door and you know, I think it wakes everybody up.' —Pat Cayen, Sarnia Fire Chief

The death has shaken many in Point Edward, a village of about 2,000 people at the mouth of the St.Clair River.

Its fire department is almost entirely volunteer, made up of 30 residents, and a paid fire prevention officer and fire chief.

Pat Cayen, chief of the nearby Sarnia Fire Department, said he spoke with Point Edward Fire Chief Doug MacKenzie on Sunday to express his condolences on behalf his force, and others across the country that rely on volunteers to save lives.

"It's a slap in the face, " Cayen told CBC News. "It's a wake up call that it's your neighbour, it's your brother right next door and you know I think it wakes everybody up."

Cayen said Kendall's death in the line of duty will remind all firefighters of the dangers they face each day.

Kendall leaves behind a wife and three children.

Cayen said the family has not yet made funeral arrangements but that he expects firefighters to come from across North America to pay their respects.

"[There's] a lot of sorrow in the whole fire community, not just in Point Edward, but the whole fire services is feeling the same way to lose one of our own," said Cayen.

The Ontario Provincial Police Lambton crime unit and forensic identification unit are investigating. The Ministry of Labour has also been contacted.