Pictured 25 years after Jenna Audette was delivered by Climax Township firefighter Scott Smith in the Audette’s bathroom in the dark following a thunderstorm that left the area without power, is (left to right) Laurie, Chris, and Jenna Audette, and Climax Township Fire Chief Scott Smith.
(Photos by Bruce Rolfe)
Firefighter delivered newborn during power outage
By Bruce Rolfe
It was 25 years ago, but the emotions Chris and Laurie Audette of Climax, and Climax Township Fire Chief Scott Smith felt early in the morning August 7, 2000, are still fresh in their minds.
A powerful thunderstorm moved through the area earlier that night, cutting power to a portion of Climax including the Audette’s home.
Laurie went into labor a short time later and the couple’s daughter, Jenna, was delivered by Smith in the couple’s bathroom with no power at 4:40 a.m.
Each year, on or near Jenna’s birthday, the family recalls the unusual circumstances surrounding the day she was born.
This year, as Jenna was about to reach her 25th birthday, the memories came flooding back.
The couple is thankful they have a beautiful, healthy daughter and thankful a local firefighter and fire department responded in a time of need.
Laurie said her water had not broken, however she recalled having a pain about 3:30 a.m.
In the August 11, 2000 Climax Crescent, Chris told the Crescent his wife began going into labor at 3:30 a.m.
Contractions at 3:45 a.m. were about 5 minutes apart. Because Laurie had gone into false labor nearly two weeks before and she had not had continuous contractions yet, the Climax couple decided to wait.
Chris recalled he called the hospital when Laurie began having contractions again and yelled to him that she could feel the baby’s head.
He said the lady at the hospital on the phone tried to walk Chris through the process of what to do.
The cell phone era was just starting and hard wired telephones were still prevalent. The couple’s cordless phone did not work because the power was out.
Chris recalled the 25-foot cord on the telephone was barely long enough to reach the bathroom where his wife was laying on the floor.
Chris said the woman walking him through the process asked him if he had anything to tie off the umbilical cord. After Chris said no, she suggested a shoe lace.
“I found a pair of scissors in the dark and I found my work boots and I cut my shoe lace off my work boot,” recalled Chris.
With just candles available for a small amount of light, Chris continued to listen to the hospital staff provide instructions.
Jenna’s head was crowning so Chris hung up the phone and called 9-1-1.
The Climax Township Fire Department was immediately dispatched.
Because the couple’s flashlights had already been used extensively and the batteries died, the couple said the biggest challenge was not being able to see very good until the fire department arrived.
A short time later, Smith, a veteran of the local fire department for 12 years at the time, arrived.
The couple guessed 5 to 10 minutes after Smith arrived, he delivered Jenna, who was 8 pounds, 1 ounce, and 21 inches.
“Scott’s my hero. He took over for me. If it wouldn’t have been for him, I don’t know what I would have done. It was very scary. There was a lot going on at the time. I didn’t know what to do. You’re supposed to do this stuff in the hospital. It felt like the old frontier days - you couldn’t even boil the water,” Chris told the Crescent after the couple’s daughter was born August 7, 2000.
Smith said it was his first home delivery and he is listed on Jenna’s birth certificate as the delivering physician. Smith believes it was also the first home delivery for the Climax Township Fire Department, which wound up having a second in home delivery later.
An ambulance arrived and the couple recalls Laurie and her newborn daughter arrived at the hospital at 5 to 5:30 a.m.
The couple’s son Adam, who was 2 1/2 years old at the time, slept through the entire process. He said he only remembered being at the hospital the next day.
While Jenna does not recall how old she was when her parents explained to her the circumstances surrounding her birth, “I always remembered, every year we’d talk about it on my birthday.”
“My mom was super woman. That’s not something that’s easy to do even in a normal setting, let alone on the bathroom floor,” said Jenna, a 2018 graduate of C-S High School.
Jenna, who said she has always looked up to Smith, recalls the veteran Climax Township firefighter used to take her to Finley’s every year on her birthday.
“Scott’s always been a part of our life. He was here when I broke my arm,” said Jenna, who joined the Climax Township Fire Department for a period of time.
Smith recalled trying to stretch the 25-foot cord that was barely long enough to get to his ear while he was talking to the Life EMS dispatcher as he delivered Jenna.
“You remember that cord? That dude was stretched right out. I’m trying to keep it in my ear, listening to this medic,” Smith recalled.
“I was a wreck,” adds Chris.
Chris said he always had a desire to become a member of the local fire department but didn’t think he would have the time.
However after Smith delivered the couple’s daughter in their home with no power, Chris was inspired to join the local fire department a few days after Jenna was born.
“It totally brought it to light how important the fire department is. It just made you realize what would we had done without them. If it hadn’t gone well, you just don’t know,” said Laurie.
Now a lieutenant on the Climax Township Fire Department, Chris is approaching his 25th year as a member of the local fire department.
“That turned out to be, besides our kids, one of the biggest blessings of our lives, the fire department. And all that has come with that since,” said Laurie.
Looking back, Smith said while he had the training to deliver a baby, he never expected he would have to put that training into action.
“For me personally (it was quite an experience), but for the whole department just to be a part of that was like, wow,” said the local fire chief.
The Climax couple told the Crescent in 2000 the way their daughter came into the world will be a good story to tell her, family and friends for years in the future.
And to this day, the story never gets old and reminds us what a blessing a new born child is.
It was 25 years ago, but the emotions Chris and Laurie Audette of Climax, and Climax Township Fire Chief Scott Smith felt early in the morning August 7, 2000, are still fresh in their minds.
A powerful thunderstorm moved through the area earlier that night, cutting power to a portion of Climax including the Audette’s home.
Laurie went into labor a short time later and the couple’s daughter, Jenna, was delivered by Smith in the couple’s bathroom with no power at 4:40 a.m.
Each year, on or near Jenna’s birthday, the family recalls the unusual circumstances surrounding the day she was born.
This year, as Jenna was about to reach her 25th birthday, the memories came flooding back.
The couple is thankful they have a beautiful, healthy daughter and thankful a local firefighter and fire department responded in a time of need.
Laurie said her water had not broken, however she recalled having a pain about 3:30 a.m.
In the August 11, 2000 Climax Crescent, Chris told the Crescent his wife began going into labor at 3:30 a.m.
Contractions at 3:45 a.m. were about 5 minutes apart. Because Laurie had gone into false labor nearly two weeks before and she had not had continuous contractions yet, the Climax couple decided to wait.
Chris recalled he called the hospital when Laurie began having contractions again and yelled to him that she could feel the baby’s head.
He said the lady at the hospital on the phone tried to walk Chris through the process of what to do.
The cell phone era was just starting and hard wired telephones were still prevalent. The couple’s cordless phone did not work because the power was out.
Chris recalled the 25-foot cord on the telephone was barely long enough to reach the bathroom where his wife was laying on the floor.
Chris said the woman walking him through the process asked him if he had anything to tie off the umbilical cord. After Chris said no, she suggested a shoe lace.
“I found a pair of scissors in the dark and I found my work boots and I cut my shoe lace off my work boot,” recalled Chris.
With just candles available for a small amount of light, Chris continued to listen to the hospital staff provide instructions.
Jenna’s head was crowning so Chris hung up the phone and called 9-1-1.
The Climax Township Fire Department was immediately dispatched.
Because the couple’s flashlights had already been used extensively and the batteries died, the couple said the biggest challenge was not being able to see very good until the fire department arrived.
A short time later, Smith, a veteran of the local fire department for 12 years at the time, arrived.
The couple guessed 5 to 10 minutes after Smith arrived, he delivered Jenna, who was 8 pounds, 1 ounce, and 21 inches.
“Scott’s my hero. He took over for me. If it wouldn’t have been for him, I don’t know what I would have done. It was very scary. There was a lot going on at the time. I didn’t know what to do. You’re supposed to do this stuff in the hospital. It felt like the old frontier days - you couldn’t even boil the water,” Chris told the Crescent after the couple’s daughter was born August 7, 2000.
Smith said it was his first home delivery and he is listed on Jenna’s birth certificate as the delivering physician. Smith believes it was also the first home delivery for the Climax Township Fire Department, which wound up having a second in home delivery later.
An ambulance arrived and the couple recalls Laurie and her newborn daughter arrived at the hospital at 5 to 5:30 a.m.
The couple’s son Adam, who was 2 1/2 years old at the time, slept through the entire process. He said he only remembered being at the hospital the next day.
While Jenna does not recall how old she was when her parents explained to her the circumstances surrounding her birth, “I always remembered, every year we’d talk about it on my birthday.”
“My mom was super woman. That’s not something that’s easy to do even in a normal setting, let alone on the bathroom floor,” said Jenna, a 2018 graduate of C-S High School.
Jenna, who said she has always looked up to Smith, recalls the veteran Climax Township firefighter used to take her to Finley’s every year on her birthday.
“Scott’s always been a part of our life. He was here when I broke my arm,” said Jenna, who joined the Climax Township Fire Department for a period of time.
Smith recalled trying to stretch the 25-foot cord that was barely long enough to get to his ear while he was talking to the Life EMS dispatcher as he delivered Jenna.
“You remember that cord? That dude was stretched right out. I’m trying to keep it in my ear, listening to this medic,” Smith recalled.
“I was a wreck,” adds Chris.
Chris said he always had a desire to become a member of the local fire department but didn’t think he would have the time.
However after Smith delivered the couple’s daughter in their home with no power, Chris was inspired to join the local fire department a few days after Jenna was born.
“It totally brought it to light how important the fire department is. It just made you realize what would we had done without them. If it hadn’t gone well, you just don’t know,” said Laurie.
Now a lieutenant on the Climax Township Fire Department, Chris is approaching his 25th year as a member of the local fire department.
“That turned out to be, besides our kids, one of the biggest blessings of our lives, the fire department. And all that has come with that since,” said Laurie.
Looking back, Smith said while he had the training to deliver a baby, he never expected he would have to put that training into action.
“For me personally (it was quite an experience), but for the whole department just to be a part of that was like, wow,” said the local fire chief.
The Climax couple told the Crescent in 2000 the way their daughter came into the world will be a good story to tell her, family and friends for years in the future.
And to this day, the story never gets old and reminds us what a blessing a new born child is.
Chris and Laurie Audette are pictured with Climax Township firefighter Scott Smith, holding the couple’s daughter Jenna, the day after Smith delivered Jenna in the Audette’s bathroom in the dark after power was lost when a storm moved through the area before Laurie went into labor.
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