(Posted 2 p.m., July 28)
Daycare party ends in tragedy as two-year-old drowns in outdoor pool
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

Jeremie Audette, 2, is the sixth toddler to drown in a backyard pool in Ontario this summer. File photo

A backyard party organized by home daycare providers in South Fallingbrook ended in tragedy Wednesday morning when a two-year-old boy somehow fell into an above ground pool and drowned.

According to the victim's uncle Marc Potvin, Jeremie Audette was brought to the party by his babysitter. At least 20 other kids of various ages were also at the party with their caregivers. It is not known exactly how many adults were present. Various reports put the number between four and six,

Potvin told the Ottawa Citizen that his nephew's babysitter had turned to talk to another adult and five minutes later one of the older kids saw Jeremy floating face down in the pool.

The boy was immediately removed from the water and the owner of the home began performing CPR on him while one of the other adults called 9-1-1.

The home where the drowning occurred is on Rougement Crescent, virtually around the corner from the Charlemagne Fire Station. Firefighters were at the scene within minutes. They worked on the young boy for a short time until paramedics arrived. He was then rushed to the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario but never regained consciousness. He is the sixth toddler to drown in a backyard pool in Ontario this summer.

Wendy Lapierre has been operating a private daycare out of her home for the last five or six years and by all accounts the care that she has provided has been exemplary, according to her neighbours.

At any one time she has four or five children in her care. Jeremie was at the party under the care of another individual. All of the caregivers who came to the party were friends and they often hold joint play days together.

The tragic incident once again sheds light on the importance of supervising young children around outdoor swimming pools. The following measures should be taken at all times when dealing with children under the age of five around outdoor swimming pools.

• Never leave your children alone in or near the pool, even for a moment. An adult who knows CPR should actively supervise children at all times.
• Practice touch supervision with children younger than 5 years. This means that the adult is within an arm's length of the child at all times.
• You must put up a fence to separate your house from the pool. Most young children who drown in pools wander out of the house and fall into the pool.
• Install a fence at least 4 feet high around all 4 sides of the pool. This fence will completely separate the pool from the house and play area of the yard.
• Use gates that self-close and self-latch, with latches higher than your children's reach.
• Keep rescue equipment (such as a shepherd's hook or life preserver) and a telephone by the pool.
• Do not use air-filled "swimming aids" as a substitute for approved life vests.
• Remove all toys from the pool after use so children aren't tempted to reach for them.
• After the children are done swimming, secure the pool so they can't get back into it.

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)

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