The “be prepared” motto was put into practice after an eight-year-old boy nearly drowned in a backyard pool Monday evening during a Scouts Canada gathering at a home in Caulfeild.
The child was struggling in the pool for about a minute or so, said Jeff Bush, assistant fire chief for West Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, adding there were numerous adults and other children present when the incident occurred around 6:30 p.m.
“What had happened was the little guy was in the pool … I guess his head was intermittently going under water,” explained Bush, who couldn’t confirm if the kid knew how to swim or not.
The youngster was blue in the lips when a male bystander pulled him from the water and performed CPR for only 10 seconds, which forced the boy to vomit six or seven times. It’s unknown if the child ever stopping breathing, but he threw up pool water that had collected in his stomach and fortunately not his lungs, said Bush.
Fire and rescue crews arrived on the scene shortly after and found the victim to be conscious, lying on his side and coughing. Firefighters gave the boy some oxygen before he was transported to hospital for further observation.
“So (because of) quick work by the chaperones and quick work by the firefighters, this little guy is alive and breathing today,” said Bush. “It sounds like he is going to make a full recovery.”
Monday’s near drowning, which Bush described as a very close call that could have very easily had a tragic outcome, highlights the importance of CPR training and also putting pool safety precautions into place. “I would say please be very, very diligent and vigilant about watching young children around water on your property,” said Bush.
Bush said the children and adults gathered at the home were there for a Scouts Canada get-together, but he couldn’t confirm if any attendees were from the West Vancouver chapter. The North Shore News reached out to the 1st West Vancouver Scout Group, but didn’t hear back before press time.
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